How childhood critical illness affect parents' well-being? Insights from a six-month study!

As per the findings of a recent study published in the journal “Children”, parents of critically ill kids (age: 1 month to 18 years) in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) exhibited diverse recovery patterns. Recovery for parents of children with mild to moderate PICU conditions usually occurred within three months, but those with severe cases often remained troubled even after six months. Childhood critical illness impacts families profoundly, yet the long-term health trajectory of parents post-PICU remains unclear.

Hence, investigators tracked parental health effects and recovery patterns over six months after their kid's discharge. Researchers used a prospective longitudinal study design to assess 128 parents of kids admitted to the intensive care unit for at least 48 hours. Health status was measured at PICU discharge, and at one, three, and six months post-care. For the evaluation of health conditions, pediatric quality-of-life family impact module, patient health questionnaire-4, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5) were used.

In the study, 54 parents were in the mild health trajectory group (42%), 68 were in the moderate group (53%), and 6 were in the severe group (4%). Mild and moderate group parents usually returned to baseline in three months, while severe group parents had worse outcomes, persisting even after six months. PICU stay details of various groups have been described in Table 1 below:

To sum up, most parents recovered within the first three months post-PICU, but a small group experienced prolonged severe health issues even till six months. Identifying these recovery trajectories highlights the need for tailored follow-up care to support at-risk parents effectively. A key clinical implication of the findings is the need for screening and ongoing follow-up for parents at PICU follow-up clinics to boost their recovery and well-being. Since six months may not restore baseline for severe trajectory parents, additional investigations must concentrate on extended follow-up to better comprehend and assist their long-term recovery.