Citation

Bakker A, Van Loey NE, van Son MJ, van der Heijden PGM. J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2010; 35(6): 656-661.

Affiliation

Association of Dutch Burn Centres, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Utrecht University,and Department of Methodology and Statistics, Faculty of Social Sciences and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jsp090

PMID

19846581

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This prospective longitudinal study examines the course of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in mothers of children with burns between 1 and 11 years after the burn event and the role of burn severity and feelings of guilt on this course. METHOD: Self-reported PTSS of 48 mothers were measured with the Impact of Event Scale. Guilt feelings were assessed during an in-depth interview 2 years after the burn event. Eleven years after the burn event, mothers marked their child's scars at the present time on a drawing. RESULTS: Over a period of 10 years, maternal PTSS decreased. Multiple regression analysis showed that the interaction between guilt and burn severity predicted the course of PTSS. CONCLUSIONS: Although PTSS substantially decreases through the years, a subset of mothers, in particular mothers who feel guilty about the burn event and whose children have more extensive permanent scarring seem at risk for longer term PTSS.

Language: en