Posttraumatic stress and depression symptom classes in parents of trauma-exposed children: a transdiagnostic perspective using pooled individual participant data

Background: In the aftermath of child trauma, post-traumatic stress (PTS) and depression symptoms often co-occur among trauma exposed children and their parents. Studies have used latent class analysis (LCA) to examine PTS and depression symptoms and identify homogeneous subgroups among trauma exposed children. However, little is known about subgroups or classes of PTS and depression reactions of parents of traumatised children.Objectives: (1) Determine PTS and depression symptom classes at 2-9 months post-trauma, and (2) to examine sociodemographic covariates among parents of trauma exposed children.Methods: Using harmonised individual participant data (n = 702) from eight studies (Australia, UK, US) included in the Prospective studies of Acute Child Trauma and Recovery Data Archive (PACT/R), we modelled these phenomena at the symptom level using LCA.Results: Our LCA yielded three solutions: 'high internalizing symptom' class (11%); 'low PTS-high depression' class (17%); and 'low internalizing symptom' class (72%). Parents of children in the 'low PTS-high depression' class were more likely to have children of older age and be part of an ethnic minority, compared to the 'low internalizing symptoms' class. Mothers were more likely to be in the 'high internalizing symptom' class compared to the 'low internalizing symptoms' class.Conclusions: These findings reveal a qualitative structure and relationship between depression and PTS symptoms that highlights the importance of assessing and targeting a broad range of internalising symptoms in post-trauma psychological treatment. Using harmonised individual participant data from eight studies included in the Prospective studies of Acute Child Trauma and Recovery (PACT/R) Data Archive we identified three distinct classes of parental internalising reactions using Latent Class Analysis.Mothers, family ethnic minority status, and children of older age were associated with distinct classes of problematic symptoms.The findings from the present study highlight the need for assessing and targeting a broad range of internalising symptoms after trauma, and that mothers, parents of older children and families with ethnic minority status might be at risk for elevated symptoms. Antecedentes: Despues de un trauma en la infancia, el estres postraumatico (EPT) y los sintomas de depresion a menudo coexisten entre los ninos expuestos al trauma y sus padres. Los estudios han utilizado el analisis de clases latentes (ACL) para examinar el sindrome de estres postraumatico y los sintomas de depresion, e identificar subgrupos homogeneos entre los ninos expuestos a traumas. Sin embargo, se sabe poco sobre los subgrupos o clases de EPT y las reacciones de depresion de los padres de ninos traumatizados.Objetivos: (1) determinar las clases de sintomas de depresion y EPT entre 2 y 9 meses despues del trauma, y (2) examinar las covariables sociodemograficas entre los padres de ninos expuestos al trauma.Metodos: Utilizando datos armonizados de participantes individuales (n = 702) de ocho estudios (Australia, Reino Unido, EE. UU.) incluidos en los estudios prospectivos del archivo de datos de recuperacion y trauma infantil agudo (PACT/R), modelamos estos fenomenos a nivel de sintomas utilizando ACL.Resultados: Nuestro ACL arrojo tres soluciones: clase de 'sintoma de alta internalizacion' (11%); clase 'bajo EPT-depresion alta' (17%); y clase de 'sintoma de internalizacion baja' (72%). Los padres de ninos en la clase de 'bajo EPT-alta depresion' tenian mas probabilidades de tener hijos de mayor edad y ser parte de una minoria etnica, en comparacion con la clase de 'bajos sintomas de internalizacion'. Las madres tenian mas probabilidades de estar en la clase de 'sintomas de internalizacion altos' en comparacion con la clase de 'sintomas de internalizacion bajos'.Conclusiones: Estos hallazgos revelan una estructura cualitativa y una relacion entre la depresion y los sintomas del EPT que resalta la importancia de evaluar y abordar una amplia gama de sintomas internalizantes en el tratamiento psicologico postraumatico.