Originally published December 3 2005
Penn researcher studies traumatic effects of traffic accidents on children
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Dr. Flaura K. Winston, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, has authored a study that examines the traumatic stress that some children undergo when they are involved in traffic accidents.
"While most are resilient, traumatic stress can occur in both children and their parents after crashes," added Winston, the founder and co-director of TraumaLink, a pediatric trauma research center based at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.
Within the first month after a motor vehicle crash, roughly 25 percent of children hospitalized with injuries, and their parents, are known to experience acute stress disorder (ASD) symptoms, such as re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive thoughts or images, and sleep difficulties.
Research on traumatic stress after motor vehicle crashes has primarily been conducted among those receiving care in medical treatment settings, but they represent only a small proportion of affected individuals.
To more fully determine the prevalence of ASD symptoms in children and their parents after motor vehicle crashes, Winston and her colleagues conducted telephone surveys of parent drivers and their 5- to 15-year-old children, based on a crash surveillance system and insurance claims.
Overall, 1.6 percent of the children experienced ASD symptoms, as did nearly 5 percent of the parents, Winston and her team report in this month's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
For example, children who experienced concussions, fractures or other consequential injuries were nearly seven times more likely to experience ASD symptoms than those who were not injured.
For parents, ASD symptoms were most common among those whose child was injured, those whose child received medical care and those involved in more severe crashes, whose vehicle could not be driven afterwards.
"Because of the high exposure of children to traffic crashes, health care professionals should consider screening children and their parents for traumatic stress symptoms when exposure has occurred," Winston and her team conclude.
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