Pediatric Minor Head Trauma: Factors Affecting the Anxiety of Parents

Abstract

Managing the anxiety of the parents of pediatric patients with head trauma is challenging. This study aimed to examine the factors that affect anxiety levels of parents whose children were admitted to the emergency department with minor head trauma. In this prospective study, the parents of 663 consecutive pediatric patients were invited to answer a questionnaire. Parents of 600 children participated in the study. The parents who believed they were provided sufficient information and who were satisfied with the service received had significantly more improvement in anxiety-related questions. Cranial X-ray assessment had a significantly positive impact on the anxiety of the parents, whereas cranial computed tomography and neurosurgery consultation did not. In assessing pediatric minor head trauma, cranial computed tomography imaging and neurosurgery consultation should not be expected to relieve the anxiety of the parents. However, adequately informing them and providing satisfaction are the factors that could lead to improvement.

Family caregivers’ emotional and communication needs in Canadian pediatric emergency departments

“…Emotional needs of families presenting to the pediatric ED with specific conditions have been previously described in small, single center studies, and share some common themes regarding caregiver needs [5][6][7][8]. For infants admitted to the ED with fever, caregivers describe emotions such as worry, fear, and stress, related to fear of the unknown, stress during procedures, and the emotional distress of hospital admission impact on the entire family [6].…”

“…For infants admitted to the ED with fever, caregivers describe emotions such as worry, fear, and stress, related to fear of the unknown, stress during procedures, and the emotional distress of hospital admission impact on the entire family [6]. Minor head trauma creates anxiety for caregivers, specifically around the worry that their child has suffered brain damage [5]. Caregivers of children presenting to hospital with mental health crises endorse feelings of stress, especially fear of inpatient admission [7].…”