Differences in Traumatic Stress Among Youth With and Without Chronic Medical Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective:

The COVID-19 pandemic is the deadliest pandemic in American history. This study aims to assess the differences in youth reported traumatic stress among those with and without chronic illness, and how those reports are impacted by parental level of concern regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

Using convenience sampling, parents and their children completed a series of questionnaires focused on demographic information including questions about medical conditions, parental level of concern about COVID-19, and youth-report of posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Results:

Results of the anonymous survey (n = 164) found that parental reported level of concern of COVID-19 significantly predicted youth report of posttraumatic stress symptoms (F(4, 159) = 2.607, p = .038). There was no significant difference in youth-report of posttraumatic stress symptoms between youth with and without chronic medical conditions (F(1, 162) = .438, p = .509).

Conclusions:

Children often look to their parents for guidance during stressful life events, as confirmed by our findings. Parental emotional and behavioral responses may influence how youth make sense of highly stressful events and should be considered when determining intervention strategies in the COVID-19 era.

Implications for Impact Statement

This study found that youth with and without chronic health conditions did not differ in their report of posttraumatic stress 6 months after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, youth report of traumatic stress symptoms was predicted by their parents’ level of concern regarding the impact of COVID-19 on their families, suggesting the need for targeted parent-based intervention. Clinical interventions to prevent chronic posttraumatic stress responses in youth regardless of medical comorbidity are discussed.