Parenting‐related trauma exposure among parents of children with intellectual and developmental disorders: Development and validation of the Parenting Trauma Checklist

Abstract

Parents of children with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDDs) often encounter parenting‐related traumatic events. Trauma exposure is a risk factor for mental health problems, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Little is known regarding the types of traumatic events that parents commonly experience and how to best assess parenting‐related trauma exposure. To address this gap, we developed the Parenting Trauma Checklist (PTC) and tested its psychometric properties. The PTC was created based on an extensive literature review and consultation with stakeholders, which led to the creation of a 17‐item instrument. Participants (N = 424) were Canadian parents of children with IDDs who completed an online test battery that included the PTC and several questionnaires to assess PTSD symptoms, global mental and physical health, lifetime trauma exposure, and functional impairment, which were included to test the validity of the new instrument. The PTC demonstrated good construct validity. Ninety four percent of the sample reported parenting‐related trauma exposure. Parents reported having experienced an average of 5.79 parenting‐related traumatic events, with seeing their child undergo a medical procedure the most frequently endorsed event (68.6%). Experiencing more parenting‐related traumatic events was positively associated with higher PTSD symptom levels, r = .35, p < .001. The PTC is a promising instrument that can be used to examine parenting‐related trauma exposure. The measure can be used as a screening tool to detect parents’ risk of traumatic stress disorders, evaluate traumatic experiences, and assess whether trauma‐focused treatment is warranted.

An online survey to understand the needs of caregivers of family members with 22q11 deletion syndrome

“…The barrier to accessing help questionnaire (Xiong et al . 2022b) is an 17‐item questionnaire validated on a population of Canadian parents of children with developmental disabilities. It was included in this study to identify whether this sample of caregivers were experiencing difficulties accessing support that could be addressed with a remote intervention.…”

Risk and protective factors for posttraumatic stress and posttraumatic growth in parents of children with intellectual and developmental disorders

“…The Parenting Trauma Checklist (PTC, Xiong, McGrath, et al, 2022 ) consists of 17 items asking about parental PTE that occurred while caring for their child with IDD. The PTC captured the PTE that were not covered in the LEC-5.…”

“…The PTC captured the PTE that were not covered in the LEC-5. The scale was tested by our team and good construct validity was observed among 424 parents (Xiong, McGrath, et al, 2022 ). The validation of the PTC and the present study were both in a larger programme designed for parents of children with IDD.…”

“…seizures), and challenging child behaviours (e.g. self-harming, aggression) (Carmassi et al, 2021 ; Christofferson et al, 2019 ; Stewart et al, 2020 ; Xiong, McGrath, Yakovenko, Thomson, & Kaltenbach, 2022 ). As a consequence, they are at a higher risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress (PTS) or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Carmassi et al, 2018 ; Casey et al, 2012 ).…”

How to measure barriers in accessing mental healthcare? Psychometric evaluation of a screening tool in parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities

“…In total, 456 parents of children with an IDD participated in this study. This study was a part of a larger survey for these parents [ 35 , 36 ]. They were recruited in Canada starting in 2020.…”