Medical Traumatic Stress for Caregivers

Important information:

Having a baby or child with a serious illness or injury can be traumatic for caregivers. Caregivers can feel fear and helplessness when they are worried about their child’s life. It can also be highly distressing for caregivers to see other children have life-threatening events.

It is normal to feel afraid or upset during and after a traumatic event. In an emergency, people’s bodies change to be ready to respond quickly. They go into a high-alert state that includes becoming very aware of their surroundings. They also have an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. However, when people keep having this high-alert response, even when there is no longer an immediate threat, this can cause difficulty for them and their families.  

Possible responses to a baby/child’s illness or hospitalization:

  • Nightmares, flashbacks, or unwanted thoughts

  • Staying away from places, events, or objects that are reminders

  • Feeling distressed when there are reminders

  • Not wanting to talk about it

  • Feeling isolated

  • Feeling tense or “on edge”

  • Waiting for something else bad to happen at any moment

  • Feeling irritable or angry

  • Trouble concentrating or sleeping

  • Not remembering parts of what happened

  • Having negative thoughts about oneself or the world

  • Feelings of guilt or self-blame

  • Loss of interest in previously enjoyable activities

How do I know if I have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Caregivers can experience some of these responses during and after a child’s hospital stay. These symptoms often decrease or go away within a few weeks after the trauma is over. For some caregivers, the responses are delayed and start several weeks or months after the event. When these kinds of responses continue for over a month and interfere with life, they may be signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). About 20-40% of caregivers of children with serious illness experience this persistent distress.

PTSD is diagnosed by a mental health professional. This condition can last for many years. With proper treatment, symptoms can improve and resolve, which benefits the entire family.

What treatment is best for PTSD?

Trauma focused psychotherapy is needed to treat the symptoms of PTSD. “Trauma focused” means the treatment focuses on the memory of the traumatic experience or its meaning. Some treatments involve picturing, talking, or thinking about the traumatic memory. Others focus on changing unhelpful beliefs about the trauma. These treatments usually last about 8-16 sessions. It is important to receive therapy focused on trauma. General therapy may not effectively treat trauma related symptoms.

Trauma focused psychotherapies that are the most helpful:

Prolonged exposure (PE): Talking about your trauma with a provider and doing some of the things you have avoided since the trauma.

Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): Learning to think about your negative thoughts about the trauma in a different way.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): Thinking about the trauma while paying attention to back-and-forth movement or sound (like a finger waving side to side, a light, or a tone).

How do I find the right therapist for treatment?

  • Ask if the therapist has experience treating people with PTSD.

    • Does the provider have experience with trauma focused therapies?

    • Has the provider worked with people who have had traumatic stress related to their child’s illness?

  • Contact your primary care provider to ask for a recommendation. You can also ask friends and family for a recommendation.

  • It is important to feel comfortable with your therapist. You might need to meet with more than one person before you decide to work together.

  • Find out what type(s) of insurance the provider accepts. Ask about out-of-pocket insurance costs.

  • Call your health insurance to find out which mental health providers are covered.

For more information and resources

 

Reviewed July 2024 by Casey Hoffman, PHD