Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Related Factors in Parents of Children With Cancer in South-East of Iran

BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) comprises a collection of symptoms following exposure to injury-causing accidents of life. It is estimated that the prevalence of PTSD in children with malignancy and their parents is between 10-30% and even several years after treatment of malignancy this disorderremain in 20-20% of these patients. OBJECTIVES This study investigated the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in parents of children with cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this analytic-descriptive study, 256parents of children with cancer (mean age: 30.06 ± 14.6 years-old) that their children treated in pediatric hematology ward of Ali ebn-e Abitaleb (AS) teaching hospital of Zahedan city (south east of Iran) at 2009-2010 were evaluated. The demographic data and symptoms of PTSD were collected by standard questionnaire (based on DSM-IV). After data analysis was performed using statistical software SPSS (version 18). RESULTS All parents who were studied had PTSD. The severity of PTSD in 111 of parents was mild, in 103 (40.2%) moderate and in 42 (16.4%) parents was severe. Furthermore, there were a significant correlation between the severity of PTSD with number of children, age of parents, gender, literacy, religion and economic state (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our results showed that factors such as age, sex, number of children, educational state and religion of parents with economic state of the family can effect on the severity of PTSD. As for role of parents of children with chronic disease especially malignancy diseases on decline of psycho-social disorders with mental and physical supports of their children should be given the necessary recommendations and educations regarding PTSD.