Introduction: Intensive care patients are at risk of developing anxiety, depression and PTSD, as are their family members. Studies on parents of children in the ICU, especially minorities, are scarce. Previous research indicates a high prevalence of PTSD in parents of critically ill children, particularly non-white parents. The primary objective of this retrospective analysis is to compare PTSD development in non-white parents of children to the baseline general population (6%). The secondary objective is to determine if there is an association between various non-white races (Asian, Hispanic and Black) and PTSD development.
Methods: Phone surveys were conducted with 26 parents (14 Caucasian, 12 non-white: 5 Asian, 5 Hispanic, 5 Black) whose children stayed in the ICU for over 48 hours. At least six months post-ICU stay, these surveys gathered demographic data and PTSD (PCL-5) screens. A retrospective analysis was performed, examining parent race and PTSD screen results using a one-sample proportion test (Z-test) and chi-squared test.
Results: 58% (7/12) of non-white parents and 42% (6/14) of white parents screened positive for PTSD. Compared to the general population rate of 6% this was not statistically significant, (p-value = 0.43) however an association between positive PTSD screens in non-white parents compared to the general population, is of clinical significance. No significant association was found between specific non-white races and positive PTSD screens. Studying PTSD development across races is essential for understanding mental health disparities caused by structural inequalities, including access to mental health resources. Awareness of these differences is crucial for creating targeted interventions to improve PTSD outcomes for different racial groups.
Conclusions: The results suggest no statistically significant difference in PTSD rates between non-white parents and the general population, though this may be due to the small sample size. However, the clinical finding that 58% of non-white parents screened positive for PTSD is concerning and warrants further research. No significant difference was found between different non-white races regarding PTSD development.
