Which factor ımpacts medical traumatic stress for pediatric patients: Scoping review.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Scoping review of 14 primary observational studies without meta-analysis
PubMed 40930006 · doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2025.09.001
What was done
This scoping review searched six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Scopus) through December 12, 2024, following PRISMA-ScR guidelines and the Booth et al. (2021) framework. The authors systematically mapped, categorized, and synthesized research on factors associated with medical traumatic stress in pediatric clinical populations.
What was found
Fourteen primary studies were identified covering pediatric populations exposed to surgical procedures, intensive care, chronic illness, oncology, and severe infections. PMTS symptom frequency ranged from 8.6% to 60% across studies. Identified risk factors included child-related factors (younger age, pre-existing emotional difficulties, hospital anxiety, fear of death), family-related factors (parental PTSD symptoms, caregiver stress, poor family functioning), medical-related factors (perceived life threat, emergency surgery, repeated interventions, longer hospitalization), and socio-environmental factors (low socioeconomic status, minority background, pandemic-related isolation, social disruptions). No pooled effect sizes or statistical test values were reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
The findings synthesize diverse drivers of medical trauma in children, supporting the implementation of early screening and trauma-informed, family-centered pediatric clinical care.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total number of pediatric patients across the 14 studies, specific primary study designs, or formal quality/risk-of-bias assessments. The wide PMTS symptom frequency range (8.6% to 60%) reflects high heterogeneity across populations and settings, and no quantitative meta-analysis was performed.
Cited by
- supports Repeated surgical and painful procedures in children are well-documented to induce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).