Study: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Common in Transplant Parents

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) appears to be relatively common in parents of children who have organ transplants, according to UCLA researchers.

Reporting in the journal Pediatrics, the searchers said parents and other caregivers of pediatric transplant recipients did not report elevated levels of depression or anxiety, but more than a quarter of them reported posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Common symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks in which memories of trauma occur unexpectedly, diminished emotions, irritability, difficulty concentrating, chronic nightmares and insomnia.

In their study of 170 caregivers of pediatric transplant recipients, the researchers said that parents' perception of their child's health, the impact of the transplant on the family, and parents' perception of the healthcare system seemed to affect the severity of PTSD symptoms.

About half of the 170 parents and guardians reported at least moderately severe PTSD symptoms, according to the report, with 27 percent of parents of children who received a new heart, liver or kidney at UCLA meeting the criteria for PTSD.

"PTSD seems to be relatively common in parents of pediatric transplant recipients and may be largely the result of how parents perceive and interpret the transplant experience," the researchers concluded.

Other Sources: Pediatrics