What Is the Trauma? Patients', Mothers', and Fathers' Fear and Helplessness Related to Posttraumatic Aspects of Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury

This study evaluated posttraumatic stress (PTS) and the appraisal of six traumatic aspects of pediatric spinal cord injury (SCI) in 64 patients, 64 mothers, and 49 fathers. Ratings of fear and helplessness for all injury aspects were extremely high. Mothers and fathers perceived the trauma experience to be more frightening/helpless than did the patients. Patients rated the injury and treatment aspects to be as frightening/helpless as the event that caused the SCI, but rated the social aspects as less helpless than the precipitating event. Parents rated medical and social aspects as less frightening/helpless than the event that caused the injury. Relationships were found between patients' fear/helplessness and patients' PTS, fathers' and mothers' fear and mothers' PTS, and mothers' and patients' helplessness and fathers'PTS.