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

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating a caregiver-child screening and intervention approach to reduce traumatic stress and depression symptoms in children who survive traumatic injuries and their caregivers. This study compares a new intervention to the current standard care to better support families at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression following pediatric injury. The trial focuses on pediatric trauma patients and their caregivers to understand how to improve emotional outcomes after injury. Participants are assigned randomly to one of two groups: one group receives screening with the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory (PDI) tool plus caregiver counseling that includes trauma narrative, education, coping skills, and resilience building during a single hospitalization. The other group receives screening with the same PDI tool but continues with the usual standard care provided by the counseling team. Interventions occur during the child's hospital stay. During the study, researchers assess changes in trauma and depression symptoms in both children and caregivers using tools like the Kessler 6, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) from baseline through three months. Caregiver-child dyads are monitored to evaluate emotional health improvements, with data collection focusing on symptom changes over time. The total involvement includes initial screening, intervention during hospitalization, and follow-up measurement at three months.

Pediatric and Caregiver Traumatic Stress Intervention (PACTS)