Frederick J. Stoddard

Relationship Between Acute Morphine and the Course of PTSD in Children With Burns

OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between the dose of morphine administered during a childs hospitalization for an acute burn and the course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms over the 6-month period following discharge from the hospital. METHOD Twenty-four children admitted to the hospital for an acute burn were assessed twice with the Child PTSD Reaction Index: while in the hospital and 6 months after discharge. The Colored Analogue Pain Scale was also administered during the hospitalization. All patients received morphine while in the hospital. The mean dose of morphine (mg/kg/day) was calculated for each subject through chart review. RESULTS The Pearson product moment correlation revealed a significant association between the dose of morphine received while in the hospital and a 6-month reduction in PTSD symptoms. Children receiving higher doses of morphine had a greater reduction in PTSD symptoms over 6 months. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests the possibility that acute treatment with morphine can secondarily prevent PTSD. This result is discussed in terms of the possible effect of morphine on fear conditioning and the consolidation of traumatic memory.

Treatment of Pain in Acutely Burned Children

The child with burns suffers severe pain at the time of the burn and during subsequent treatment and rehabilitation. Pain has adverse physiological and emotional effects, and research suggests that pain management is an important factor in better outcomes. There is increasing understanding of the private experience of pain, and how children benefit from honest preparation for procedures. Developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive pain assessment, pain relief, and reevaluation have improved, becoming essential in treatment. Pharmacological treatment is primary, strengthened by new concepts from neurobiology, clinical science, and the introduction of more effective drugs with fewer adverse side effects and less toxicity. Empirical evaluation of various hypnotic, cognitive, behavioral, and sensory treatment methods is advancing. Multidisciplinary assessment helps to integrate psychological and pharmacological pain-relieving interventions to reduce emotional and mental stress, and family stress as well. Optimal care encourages burn teams to integrate pain guidelines into protocols and critical pathways for improved care.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in mothers of children and adolescents with burns.

This is the first study of of posttraumatic stress symptoms in parents (24 mothers and one father) of children with burns. The purpose of the study was to determine what factors relate to parental posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Because the sample is all mothers, except for one father, the conclusions are about mothers. Through use of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, symptoms were determined as occurring from the time of the burn injury until 1 month before the interview (past), 1 month before the interview only (present), or from the date of the burn trauma up to and including 1 month before the interview (past and present). By Structural Clinical Interview criteria, 52% of the mothers had past PTSD, with four (31%) of those mothers having present PTSD symptoms. Eleven mothers and the one father reported neither past nor present PTSD. Multiple regression analysis revealed that larger burns were more strongly related to present PTSD symptoms than were proximity, social support, or perceived stress. Additional findings indicated that mothers with more than one child burned and those mothers who were burned themselves met diagnostic criteria for PTSD. Implications are that posttraumatic stress symptoms can be disruptive to a mother feeling capable of caring for her child with burns after the injury. Individual and group therapy during and after a childs hospitalization may be useful for mothers to reduce stress and to develop better coping skills.

A diagnostic outcome study of children and adolescents with severe burns

The results of a diagnostic outcome study of children and adolescents with severe burns are presented. The positive research findings include evidence of present and lifetime full and partial anxiety and depressive disorders and statistically significant within-sample, burn-related, and demographic differences. The negative findings are less depression and post-traumatic stress disorder by DSM-III criteria than expected, the presence of a subgroup of severely burned children who appeared to be functioning well with only a few or no diagnoses, and absence of significant differences on many variables on within-group comparisons. Based on these data, periodic psychiatric evaluation or reevaluation and specifically targeted followup treatment are indicated for many burned children, adolescents, and their families.

Preliminary evidence for the effects of morphine on posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in one- to four-year-olds with burns.

This study tested the hypothesis that very young children who received more morphine for acute burns would have larger decreases in posttraumatic symptoms 3 to 6 months later. This has never before been studied in very young children, despite the high frequency of burns and trauma in this age group. Seventy 12- to 48-month-old nonvented children with acute burns admitted to a major pediatric burn center and their parents participated. Parents were interviewed at three time points: during their child’s hospitalization, 1 month, and 3 to 6 months after discharge. Measures included the Child Stress Disorders Checklist – Burn Version (CSDC-B). Chart reviews were conducted to obtain children’s morphine dosages during hospitalization. Mean equivalency dosages of morphine (mg/kg/d) were calculated to combine oral and intravenous administrations. Eleven participants had complete 3 to 6-month data on the CSDC. The correlation between average morphine dose and amount of decrease in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms on the CSDC (r = −0.32) was similar to that found in studies with older children. The correlation between morphine dose and amount of decrease in symptoms on the arousal cluster of the CSDC was significant (r = −0.63, P < .05). Findings from the current study suggest that, for young children, management of pain with higher doses of morphine may be associated with a decreasing number of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, especially those of arousal, in the months after major trauma. This extends, with very young children, the previous findings with 6- to 16-year olds.

Child Stress Disorders Checklist: A Measure of ASD and PTSD in Children

OBJECTIVE To assess the psychometric properties of the Child Stress Disorders Checklist (CSDC), a 36-item observer-report instrument that measures acute stress and posttraumatic symptoms in children. METHOD The CSDC was administered to parents of 43 children with acute burns and 41 children who had experienced a traffic crash. This instrument was also administered to the burned childrens primary nurse to estimate interrater reliability. The CSDC was completed again by parents of burned children, 2 days and 3 months later. Convergent validity was determined by correlating scores on the CSDC with scores on instruments of known validity for assessing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children. Concurrent validity was determined through an examination of the relationship between CSDC scores and an index of trauma severity (percentage of body surface area burned). Discriminant validity was assessed by administering the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL): it was hypothesized that PTSD symptoms would be more closely related to the PTSD scale of the CBCL than the Thought Problems scale of the CBCL. RESULTS The CSDC has reliable and valid psychometric properties. CONCLUSIONS The CSDC, an observer-report instrument of ASD and PTSD in children, has important utility in clinical and research settings.

Depression in children after recovery from severe burns

This outcome study of children and adolescents with severe burns (ages 7 to 19 years) reports that unrecognized depression is common during their lifetimes. Thirty children who had severe burns (range, 5% to 95% body surface area) were assessed for depression at a mean of 9 years after burn injury. This article presents an analysis of depression items from the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents, which was used in face-to-face interviews to assess child psychiatric disorders with diagnostic criteria from the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual--Third Edition. At the time that the interviews took place, only one child had symptoms of major depression and only three children had symptoms of dysthymic disorder. However, eight children had a lifetime history of major depression; two of them had been abused by burning and two had been physically or sexually abused. Four had made suicide attempts: one suicide attempt was the cause of the burn injury and three attempts were made after burn injury. Thirteen children had had suicidal thoughts, and their parents were often unaware of this. Other types of affective disorders were prevalent. There was no statistically significant association between depression and burn size or disfigurement. Although burn-related factors were associated with some depressive episodes, other biologic and social risk factors were also very important. The authors conclude that referral for diagnostic services and psychotherapy, and for some, treatment with antidepressant medication, is often a necessary part of medical services for children with burns.

A randomized controlled trial of sertraline to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder in burned children.

BACKGROUND This study evaluated the potential benefits of a centrally acting selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, sertraline, versus placebo for prevention of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression in burned children. This is the first controlled investigation based on our review of the early use of a medication to prevent PTSD in children. METHODS Twenty-six children aged 6-20 were assessed in a 24-week double-blind placebo-controlled design. Each child received either flexibly dosed sertraline between 25-150 mg/day or placebo. At each reassessment, information was collected in compliance with the study medication, parental assessment of the childs symptomatology and functioning, and the childs self-report of symptomatology. The protocol was approved by the Human Studies Committees of Massachusetts General Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children. RESULTS The final sample was 17 subjects who received sertraline versus 9 placebo control subjects matched for age, severity of injury, and type of hospitalization. There was no significant difference in change from baseline with child-reported symptoms; however, the sertraline group demonstrated a greater decrease in parent-reported symptoms over 8 weeks (-4.1 vs. -0.5, p=0.005), over 12 weeks (-4.4 vs. -1.2, p=.008), and over 24 weeks (-4.0 vs. -0.2, p=0.017). CONCLUSIONS Sertraline was a safe drug, and it was somewhat more effective in preventing PTSD symptoms than placebo according to parent report but not child report. Based on this study, sertraline may prevent the emergence of PTSD symptoms in children.

Separation Anxiety as a Mediator Between Acute Morphine Administration and PTSD Symptoms in Injured Children

Abstract:  Emerging evidence suggests that individuals who receive morphine while hospitalized demonstrate a decrease in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the mechanisms of effects are not yet well understood. The goal of the current study was to examine three possible mediators for this effect. Sixty‐one injured (burns, motor vehicle accidents, falls, and assaults) children were assessed during hospitalization and again 3 months post discharge. Assessment included acute and follow‐up child report measures of pain, PTSD, and anxiety symptoms, as well as a medical record review for medication administration and pulse during hospitalization. Pathway analyses were conducted to test the potential mediating roles of pain reduction, noradrenergic attenuation, and separation anxiety on the association between morphine and PTSD. Results suggest that a reduction in separation anxiety may mediate the association between morphine administration and PTSD symptom reduction at 3 months. These findings have implications for our understanding of morphines effects on psychological functioning following an acute injury and for direct clinical care.

Parent participation during burn debridement in relation to behavioral distress.

The data on the benefits of parent participation during pediatric medical procedures are mixed. Although a wealth of clinical experience and survey data strongly recommend parent participation in a childs medical care, the mere presence of a parent, particularly during medical procedures, may be insufficient to decrease behavioral distress. This study examined a sample of children aged 3 through 12 undergoing three successive burn dressing changes. For some sessions, parents were present, and for others, they were not. A valid and reliable measure of behavioral distress was taken, as was an informal measure of the level of parent participation. Results indicated no differences between mothers and fathers in the level or the nature of participation, little change in the level of participation across time, and higher levels of physical comforting than verbal comforting. Results also indicated higher levels of behavioral distress in subjects when parents were present versus when absent, which extends previous findings. Results are discussed in terms of the literature on parent and child preferences for parent involvement and parent coaching programs.