6100 Screening for post traumatic stress disorder in children and their parents following admission to pediatric intensive care unit in a tertiary care center

Objectives To screen for symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder in children and their parents following admission to Pediatrics intensive care unit (PICU) and to study their clinical profile. Methods Children admitted to PICU fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in the study along with both their parents after obtaining written informed consent. Their clinical and demographic profile were documented. Follow up assessment for symptoms of PTSD was performed at 2 months after discharge. For children between 3 and 12 years, the PTSD questionnaire (Young Child PTSD Checklist – YCPC/Child PTSD Symptom Scale – CPSS 5 SR ) were filled/answered by parents whereas children above 12 years filled/answered the self-administered questionnaire by themselves with the assistance of parents. Parents completed the Impact of Events Scale( IES- R) meanwhile. Google forms, telephone conversations and interview at the OPD were the methods of collecting information. Results 133 children aged 3 – 18 years completed questionnaires at 2 months follow up. Six (4.5% prevalence rate) children were likely to meet the criteria for PTSD of which 4 were mild and 2 were moderate cases. Only 2 (0.75%) out of 266 parents had symptoms suggestive of PTSD. Days of hospital stay, length of PICU stay and number of interventions done to the child were statistically significant however disease severity represented by PELOD score did not show any significance in development of PTSD in our study. The anxiety scores of parents bore no significance but the PTSD scores of both parents revealed statistically significant correlation with the child's PTSD score. Conclusion The results of the present study suggest that 4.5% of the children had developed PTSD after discharge from PICU. Even though this prevalence rate is less than the studies done in other countries, it is still significant. Risk factors which were significant in our study includes length of hospital stay, length of PICU stay, number of interventions done and parental PTSD score. These predictors of PTSD may help us in identifying the children who can possibly develop PTSD and thus in its prevention.