Predictors of Depressive Symptoms in Parents of Chronically Ill Children Admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Objective: To identify factors in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patient population that may result in increased risk of depressive symptoms in their parents. Design: Six-month, prospective, observational study in a tertiary-level PICU on parents of chronically ill children admitted to PICU. Parents were assessed by background questionnaire and standardized depression scale. Results: Data was compared to various markers such as child's diagnosis, admission reason, palliative care diagnosis type (ACT code), and course/length of disease. Incidence of depressive symptoms in parents was inversely correlated with duration of child's chronic illness. Parents of children admitted for planned postoperative management were more likely to report depressive symptoms compared to parents of children admitted for acute changes in health. Conclusion: Parents of certain chronically ill children may benefit from routine screening for depression.