“This could be because parental stress early on is worsened by their children’s symptoms, or because the child’s responses are shaped by their parents’ initial reactions — or a bit of both, leading to an amplification of symptoms for both parties,” he said.
“Interestingly, even in these cases, the parents were still unlikely to acknowledge their children’s suffering,” Meiser-Stedman added.
“This study strengthens the case for considering parental mental health, and providing support for both children and their parents in the aftermath of a trauma to reduce the long-term effects for both,” he concluded.
The study was published Nov. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
More information
The U.S. National Center for PTSD has more on PTSD in children and teens.