Els van Meijel

88 Chapter 5 | Parental posttraumatic stress traumatic events. Parents mentioned life events such as death or serious illness of a loved one, mostly one of their parents, concern about the mental or physical health of loved ones or of their own health, and becoming unemployed. Of the 3 parents who developed PTSS between T1 and T2, 1 parent reported a preceding stressful period (not specified) and 1 parent reported grief because of the death of her husband who died a few years before the child’s accident. Although parental PTSS was reported as a consequence of the accident, it could also have been influenced by grief or by a period of stress. Figure 5.2 Parents with and without PTSS at T1 and T2