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Aim: Differing views on benefits and disadvantages of parental presence during their child's wound care after burn injury leave the topic surrounded by controversies. This study aimed to describe and explain parents' experiences of their presence or absence during wound care., Methods: Shortly after the burn event, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of children (0-16 years old) that underwent hospitalization in one of the three Dutch burn centers. Eighteen of these parents also participated in follow-up interviews three to six months after discharge. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory methodology., Results: Analyses resulted in themes that were integrated into a model, summarizing key aspects of parental presence during wound care. These aspects include parental cognitions and emotions (e.g., shared distress during wound care), parental abilities and needs (e.g., controlling own emotions, being responsive, and gaining overall control) and the role of burn care professionals., Conclusion: Findings emphasize the distressing nature of wound care procedures. Despite the distress, parents expressed their preference to be present. The abilities to control their own emotions and to be responsive to the child's needs were considered beneficial for both the child and the parent. Importantly, being present increased a sense of control in parents that helped them to cope with the situation. For parents not present, the professional was the intermediary to provide information about the healing process that helped parents to deal with the situation. In sum, the proposed model provides avenues for professionals to assess parents' abilities and needs on a daily basis and to adequately support the child and parent during wound care., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This prospective study examined the course and potential predictors of parents' posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) after burn injury in their child (Age 8 to 18 years)., Method: One hundred eleven mothers and 91 fathers, representing 118 children, participated in the study. Within the first month after the burn event and subsequently at 3, 12, and 18 months postburn, both parents completed the Impact of Event Scale (IES). Parental emotions related to the burn event and appraisal of threat to the child's life were assessed, which were investigated in a multilevel regression model., Results: Within the first month postburn, 48% of the mothers and 26% of the fathers reported clinically significant PTSS (IES ≥26), which decreased to, respectively, 19% and 4% 18 months postburn. Symptoms of intrusion were mainly individually experienced, whereas parents within a couple were more similar in terms of their avoidance symptoms. The perceived life threat and feelings of guilt and anger linked to the burn event were significantly related to parental PTSS, especially in mothers., Conclusions: The results indicate that a burn event to a child has a severe (acute) psychological impact on parents and that clinical levels of PTSS may persist in a subgroup of parents. The findings underline the need to incorporate parent support in burn care, especially for mothers with a strong emotional response during the first months after the burn event. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).)