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Following Injury, Anxiety Puts Children At Risk

Can one child's injury put siblings at risk for more accidents?

A recent New York Times article discusses why some children may be at greater risk of serious injury in the summer months. Of particular interest to mental health counselors and parents, the article reports on the increase in risk to siblings once a child is injured severely enough to be taken to the emergency room. Health professionals have found that one injury often lead to a series of other seemingly unrelated injuries in families, with a recent study reporting that 19 percent of families that experience a child injury experience a second one serious enough to require medical attention within three months.

Far from careless parenting, experts report that the second injuries may actually be symptomatic of heightened state of arousal similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. Stress from the initial injury causes an increase in anxiety and changes in family patterns that leaves siblings vulnerable to injuries for about three months.

For parents, this information should serve as a warning to keep a close eye on siblings following a traumatic event, watching out for nightmares, new fears or anything other behavior that may be indicative of anxiety in their children. If the injury was especially traumatic, or if the child or children seem to be having issues adjusting, parents may want to consider counseling to help them deal with the increase in anxiety. Additionally, accidents may cause hyper-vigilance in parents, which may ironically cause more injuries.

It would be interesting to see if educating parents about the increase in risk and providing them with resources to deal with the potential anxiety would decrease the number of repeat injuries within the family. In the meantime, if you are concerned that your family may need additional help after an accident, the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia offers free tools on their website at aftertheinjury.org.