Depression in mothers of burned children.
Author: El Hamaoui Y, Yaalaoui S, Chihabeddine K, Boukind E, Moussaoui D.
Source:
Archives of women's mental health, 9(3), 117-119.
The treatment of burned children needs to address also their psychic state. Since
the child's emotional state depends heavily on the emotional state of its
parents, especially the mother's, interest should also be focused on diagnosing
and treating secondary psychiatric disorders in mothers of burned children. The
AIM of this work was to study the prevalence of depression in mothers of burned
children and its predicting factors. METHODS: The enrolment of mothers of burned
children was done in the Burns Department, Ibn Rushd University Hospital in
Casablanca, Morocco. Twenty-eight mothers of seriously burned children agreed to
participate in this study. A psychiatric interview was conducted after informed
consent was obtained. The mothers completed a questionnaire; the diagnosis was
made according to DSM IV criteria using the Mini International Neuro-psychiatric
Interview (MINI). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety
Rating Scale were used to evaluate respectively the intensity of depression and
the level of anxiety. Social functioning was assessed by the Global Assessment of
Functioning scale (GAF). The minimum time interval between the child's being
burned and the interview with the mother was one month. RESULTS: The prevalence
of depression was 35.7%, which is much higher in the mothers of burned children
as compared to the general population. Several risk factors were found such as:
several burned children or burn of the only child, severity and complications of
burn, and the socio-economic level. CONCLUSION: Depression is a common disorder
in mothers of burned children. Thus early screening for depression in mothers and
psychological and psychiatric support must be provided in conjunction with the
treatment of the burned child.