Parental Responses to Child Experiences of Trauma: PROTECT Study v.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Parental Responses to Child Experiences of Trauma: the Role of Trauma Specific Behaviours and Parenting Style in Facilitating Child Psychological Adjustment
IRAS ID
137454
Contact name
Sarah Halligan
Contact email
Research summary
Many children in the UK are exposed to potentially traumatic experiences (e.g., accidents, assaults), subsequent to which they are vulnerable to developing post-traumatic stress symptoms, including vivid and intrusive memories of the event, avoidance of trauma reminders, and problems with anxiety. Up to 1/3 of UK children exposed to trauma will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a consequence. For most children their families are their main source of support following trauma, therefore the way in which they are supported by their parents is likely to be an important influence on their psychological recovery. The current research will examine parental factors that influence child psychological adjustment following trauma, focusing on: parental engagement in recollecting the trauma with their child; the parent’s own interpretations of the trauma (e.g., appraisals of danger and safety), and the extent to which they communicate these to the child; parental support for or discouragement of problematic coping styles in the child (e.g., avoidance of reminders of the trauma); and the extent to which the parent generally tends to be overprotective in interacting with their child.
To this end, we will recruit a large sample of children who have recently experienced a trauma together with their parents. Parents and children will be assessed shortly following the child’s trauma and followed up over a 6-month period. Comprehensive measures of how parents support children following trauma will be completed, and used to predict subsequent child PTSD symptoms. The findings from the study will ultimately be used to develop guidance for parents on how to support their child following trauma.REC name
South Central - Oxford A Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/SC/0599
Date of REC Opinion
22 Jan 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion