Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Children Involved in Traffic Accidents and Their Parents in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Children who survive traffic accidents, and their parents, may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or related symptoms (depression or anxiety), which can hinder the children's development and the parents' ability to provide effective care. In Japan, the PTSD incidence rate after traffic accidents and its related factors remain unclarified. METHODS: The participants were 79 children and 104 parents. The children were aged 3-18 years when injured. From August through December 2015, participants completed a self-reported questionnaire survey that comprised the 15-item Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms for Children and the Japanese version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. The children's Injury Severity Score (ISS) was also obtained from their medical records. Correlation analysis, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis were conducted. RESULTS: Among the children and parents, 10.1% and 22.1%, respectively, were deemed to be at high risk of PTSD. Their stress scores were significantly positively correlated with each other and negatively correlated with the children's age at the time of the accident. Parents who witnessed their children's accidents and those whose children were hospitalized were more stressed. Neither the children's nor the parents' risk for PTSD was associated with ISS or the amount of time since the accident. CONCLUSIONS: A system that simultaneously works with children and parents to support both parties' psychological recovery is required. To ensure psychological care post-injury, it is necessary to evaluate PTSD risk, regardless of injury severity. Implementing preventive and early interventions can prove more valuable than awaiting natural recovery.

[Which comes first for interpersonal stress, coping or support?].

This study used structural equation modeling to investigate directional relationships between coping with interpersonal stress and received support. One hundred and seventy-seven undergraduates who had experienced interpersonal stress during the past month answered questions about coping with interpersonal stress and received support. Structural equation modeling based on third-order moment structures was used to examine the directionality of the relationship between these two variables. The results revealed interactive associations between distancing and emotional support. Received support affected coping with interpersonal stress in terms of active coping, planning and monitoring, and positive reappraisal. These results suggest that received support functions as a coping resource.