Citation

Darling SJ, Hearps SJC, Muscara F, McCarthy M, Nicholson JM, Burke K, Dimovski A, Anderson V. J. Clin. Psychol. (Hoboken) 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/jclp.22829

PMID

31254362

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Explore the mental health trajectories of parents following their child's life-threatening illness/injury.

METHODS: Participants were 217 parents (mean age: 34.9-40.0; 66 fathers) of 165 children who presented to a tertiary hospital with a life-threatening illness/injury. Parents completed questionnaires about their mental health and psychosocial stressors within 4 weeks of the child's illness/injury (T1), and 4 months (T2), 7 months (T3), and 19 months (T4) postdiagnosis.

RESULTS: For both mothers and fathers, mental health symptoms were elevated at diagnosis declining to normal levels by T3, with a pattern of increase at T4. Fathers demonstrated a faster decline in symptoms between T1 and T2, and fathers, but not mothers, experienced a relapse in depressive symptoms at T4. Fathers reported higher rates of work changes.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings have important implications for the design and timing of parental interventions to support families of children with life-threatening disease/injury.

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

anxiety; depression; fathers; mental health; mothers; parents; stress