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Pediatric and Caregiver Traumatic Stress Intervention (PACTS)

Pediatric and Caregiver Traumatic Stress Intervention: A Path Forward After Injury for Pediatric Survivors and Their Caregivers

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06366282
Acronym
PACTS
Enrollment
13
Registered
2024-04-15
Start date
2024-11-26
Completion date
2026-07-31
Last updated
2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Traumatic Injury

Keywords

posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, pediatric injury

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to learn more about how to help the caregiver and child survivor of a traumatic injury handle post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression.

Detailed description

This study is a trial to determine if a caregiver-child dyadic screening and caregiver intervention with pediatric trauma patients reduces traumatic stress symptoms in both child and caregiver, and depressive symptoms in caregivers compared to the current standard of care. The purpose of the PACTS Intervention is to identify and address the needs of the caregiver and the child survivor who are at-risk for developing post-traumatic stress disorder and/or depression following traumatic injury of the child.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALCaregiver Counseling for Childhood Traumatic Injury

Caregiver intervention will be provided by the counseling team that includes components of trauma narrative, psychoeducation, coping strategies, and resilience-building using, for burn patients.

BEHAVIORALStandard of Care for Childhood Traumatic Injury

Control group receives the current standard of care provided by the counseling team

Sponsors

Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Lead SponsorOTHER
Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma
CollaboratorUNKNOWN

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
1 Years to 6 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Child requires inpatient treatment for an unintentional injury (e.g. burns, dog bite, road traffic accident) in the pediatric trauma and/or pediatric burns units * English-speaking adults, with English denoted as the primary language in the electronic medical record (EMR) * Caregiver-child dyads who screen positive with the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) Tools will be invited to participate in the randomized controlled trial.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients and/or caregivers with cognitive deficits, with psychotic symptoms, refusing treatment, and leaving the hospital against medical advice (AMA) were unable to participate in counseling interventions by condition or by choice and are excluded from the study population

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in Kessler 6 ScoresFrom baseline to Month 3Administered to the caregiver to screen for secondary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - A six-item K6 screening scale for psychological distress - a short measure of non-specific psychological distress based on questions about the level of nervousness, agitation, psychological fatigue and depression - scores range from 10-50 with higher scores meaning a severe mental disorder
Change in Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 (PHQ-9) ScoresFrom baseline to Month 3Scores less than 5 almost always signified the absence of a depressive disorder; scores of 5 to 9 predominantly represented patients with either no depression or subthreshold (i.e., other) depression; scores of 10 to 14 represented a spectrum of patients; and scores of 15 or greater usually indicated major depression
Change in Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) ScoresFrom baseline to Month 3Caregiver administered to caregiver to screen for PTSD in the child - The "Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS)" is a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5 (DSM-5) based checklist that includes 15 potentially traumatic events or series of events, the 20 posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and 5 impairment items. The younger child version conforms to the DSM-5 3-6 year old PTSD symptom criteria. The CATS can be administered as a self-report or as an interview. Interview may be preferable with younger children or youth with reading comprehension challenges. Scores ranging from 0-16+ with higher scores meaning more probability of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORElizabeth Shilling, PhD

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 4, 2026