Living with the unknown: Posttraumatic stress disorder in pediatric bone marrow transplantation survivors and their mothers

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is used to treat children with various hematologic, oncologic, and metabolic diseases. Although the treatment can be lifesaving, it is also physically and psychologically demanding for both the child and caregivers. In previous studies, BMT is found to be related with anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and psychosocial problems both in children and parents. The aim of this study was to investigate PTSD in pediatric BMT survivors and their mothers compared with the healthy controls. Twenty-seven BMT survivors and their mothers and 28 healthy peers and their mothers were recruited as the study group and as the comparison group, respectively. All children were interviewed using Child Posttraumatic Stress Disorder—Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI) for assessing posttraumatic stress responses. As for mothers, Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) was used. In healthy children and mothers, instead of BMT, the most important traumatic event reported by them was included. All data were analyzed by a neutral statistician from the Department of Biostatistics of the university. The BMT group, both children and mothers, obtained significantly higher PTSD rates than the control group (66.5% and 17.8%, respectively, in children; 57.6% and 7%, respectively, in mothers). However, there was a weak correlation between survivors' and mothers' posttraumatic stress responses. These findings suggest that BMT is a significant stressor for both children and mothers. Clinicians should be aware of psychiatric symptoms of children who underwent such a life-threatening condition. Combination of medical treatment with psychosocial support is imperative.