Offspring psychological and biological correlates of parental posttraumatic stress: Review of the literature and research agenda

Leen‐Feldner, Ellen W.; Feldner, Matthew T.; Knapp, Ashley A.; Bunaciu, Liviu; Blumenthal, Heidemarie; Amstadter, Ananda B.

doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2013.09.001

Cited by 188 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 204 publications

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“…As parental PTSS has been found to impact not only post-trauma parenting behaviours but also child PTSD outcomes (e.g., Leen-Feldner et al, 2013), this should be considered in future investigations. Similarly, examination of how parental responses on the PTRQ relate to actual parenting behaviours was also beyond the scope of the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire (PTRQ): development and preliminary validation

Williamson

Hiller

Meiser‐Stedman

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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Background: Following a child’s experience of trauma, parental response is thought to play an important role in either facilitating or hindering their psychological adjustment. However, the ability to investigate the role of parenting responses in the post-trauma period has been hampered by a lack of valid and reliable measures. Objectives: The aim of this study was to design, and provide a preliminary validation of, the Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire (PTRQ), a self-report measure of parental appraisals and support for children’s coping, in the aftermath of child trauma. Methods: We administered an initial set of 78 items to 365 parents whose children, aged 2–19 years, had experienced a traumatic event. We conducted principal axis factoring and then assessed the validity of the reduced measure against a standardized general measure of parental overprotection and via the measure’s association with child post-trauma mental health. Results: Factor analysis generated three factors assessing parental maladaptive appraisals: (i) permanent change/damage, (ii) preoccupation with child’s vulnerability, and (iii) self-blame. In addition, five factors were identified that assess parental support for child coping: (i) behavioural avoidance, (ii) cognitive avoidance, (iii) overprotection, (iv) maintaining pre-trauma routines, and (v) approach coping. Good validity was evidenced against the measure of parental overprotection and child post-traumatic stress symptoms. Good test–retest reliability of the measure was also demonstrated. Conclusions: The PTRQ is a valid and reliable self-report assessment of parenting cognitions and coping in the aftermath of child trauma.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire (PTRQ): development and preliminary validation

Williamson

Hiller

Meiser‐Stedman

et al. 2018

European Journal of Psychotraumatology

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“…For some parents, avoidant coping was a consequence of their own distress, which was notably strong even where parents did not witness the trauma themselves. 16 Parent and child PTSS have been found to be associated with each other 37 and parents use of avoidance in their own coping may negatively impact on child adjustment by modelling maladaptive strategies. Some parents held the assumption that their child would initiate discussions if needed, which may not be valid; existing research demonstrates that parental awareness of child PTSS is often low.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental responses to child experiences of trauma following presentation at emergency departments: a qualitative study

et al. 2016

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ObjectiveParents are often children's main source of support following fear-inducing traumatic events, yet little is known about how parents provide that support. The aim of this study was to examine parents' experiences of supporting their child following child trauma exposure and presentation at an emergency department (ED).DesignSemistructured qualitative interviews analysed using thematic analysis.SettingThe setting for this study was two National Health Service EDs in England.Participants20 parents whose child experienced a traumatic event and attended an ED between August 2014 and October 2015.ResultsParents were sensitive to their child's distress and offered reassurance and support for their child to resume normal activities. However, parental beliefs often inhibited children's reinstatement of pretrauma routines. Support often focused on preventing future illness or injury, reflective of parents' concerns for their child's physical well-being. In a minority of parents, appraisals of problematic care from EDs contributed to parents' anxiety and perceptions of their child as vulnerable post-trauma. Forgetting the trauma and avoidance of discussion were encouraged as coping strategies to prevent further distress. Parents highlighted their need for further guidance and support regarding their child's physical and emotional recovery.ConclusionsThis study provides insight into the experiences of and challenges faced by parents in supporting their child following trauma exposure. Perceptions of their child's physical vulnerability and treatment influenced parents' responses and the supportive strategies employed. These findings may enable clinicians to generate meaningful advice for parents following child attendance at EDs post-trauma.

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“…Thus, in a standard case-control design, it is impossible to determine whether relatives who have not experienced significant trauma might have otherwise been affected. Risk of PTSD has been shown to be elevated among offspring of parents with PTSD in some but not in all studies (Leen-Feldner et al, 2013). The largest study (Roth et al, 2014) comprised a cohort of 6924 mothers and their children and found a significant increase in offspring PTSD in a dose-response relationship with maternal posttraumatic stress symptoms (ORs 1.2-1.6).…”

Section: Family and Twin Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Genetics of Stress-Related Disorders: PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders

Smoller

2015

Neuropsychopharmacol

376

243

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Research into the causes of psychopathology has largely focused on two broad etiologic factors: genetic vulnerability and environmental stressors. An important role for familial/heritable factors in the etiology of a broad range of psychiatric disorders was established well before the modern era of genomic research. This review focuses on the genetic basis of three disorder categories-posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and the anxiety disorders-for which environmental stressors and stress responses are understood to be central to pathogenesis. Each of these disorders aggregates in families and is moderately heritable. More recently, molecular genetic approaches, including genome-wide studies of genetic variation, have been applied to identify specific risk variants. In this review, I summarize evidence for genetic contributions to PTSD, MDD, and the anxiety disorders including genetic epidemiology, the role of common genetic variation, the role of rare and structural variation, and the role of gene-environment interaction. Available data suggest that stress-related disorders are highly complex and polygenic and, despite substantial progress in other areas of psychiatric genetics, few risk loci have been identified for these disorders. Progress in this area will likely require analysis of much larger sample sizes than have been reported to date. The phenotypic complexity and genetic overlap among these disorders present further challenges. The review concludes with a discussion of prospects for clinical translation of genetic findings and future directions for research.

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Offspring psychological and biological correlates of parental posttraumatic stress: Review of the literature and research agenda

Cited by 188 publications

References 204 publications

The Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire (PTRQ): development and preliminary validation

The Parent Trauma Response Questionnaire (PTRQ): development and preliminary validation

Parental responses to child experiences of trauma following presentation at emergency departments: a qualitative study

The Genetics of Stress-Related Disorders: PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety Disorders

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