@article{ref1,
title="Psychological trajectories of mothers and fathers following their child's diagnosis of a life-threatening illness or injury: a longitudinal investigation",
journal="Journal of clinical psychology (Hoboken)",
year="2019",
author="Darling, Simone J. and Hearps, Stephen J. C. and Muscara, Frank and McCarthy, Maria and Nicholson, Jan M. and Burke, Kylie and Dimovski, Anica and Anderson, Vicki",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVE: Explore the mental health trajectories of parents following their child's life-threatening illness/injury. <br><br>METHODS: Participants were 217 parents (mean age: 34.9-40.0; 66 fathers) of 165 children who presented to a tertiary hospital with a life-threatening illness/injury. Parents completed questionnaires about their mental health and psychosocial stressors within 4 weeks of the child's illness/injury (T1), and 4 months (T2), 7 months (T3), and 19 months (T4) postdiagnosis. <br><br>RESULTS: For both mothers and fathers, mental health symptoms were elevated at diagnosis declining to normal levels by T3, with a pattern of increase at T4. Fathers demonstrated a faster decline in symptoms between T1 and T2, and fathers, but not mothers, experienced a relapse in depressive symptoms at T4. Fathers reported higher rates of work changes. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: These findings have important implications for the design and timing of parental interventions to support families of children with life-threatening disease/injury.<br><br>© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0021-9762",
doi="10.1002/jclp.22829",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22829"
}