{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.029567854435178165, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0075815011372251705, 'mean_word_length': 6.213114754098361, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Mother's Mental Health, Mother‐Child Relationship, and Family Functioning 3 Months After a Preschooler's Head Injury

ObjectiveInvestigate mothers' mental health, mother-child relationship, and family functioning 3 months after preschool children's head trauma and hospital discharge. DesignProspective survey. SettingSeven hospitals; families' homes. ParticipantsEighty mothers of children (ages 3–6) with head trauma. MeasuresPerceived injury severity, Mental Health Inventory, Parental Stressor Scale taken in pediatric intensive care unit 24 to 48 hours after admission; Mental Health Inventory, Parenting Stress Index, FACES II, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support taken at 3 months postdischarge. ResultsInjury severity had negative effects on mothers' mental health at 3 months after discharge, but not on the mother-child relationship and the family's functioning. Mothers' baseline mental health and ongoing support had positive effects on mother-child relationship and family adaptability. ConclusionsMothers with greater stress and poorer mental health during their child's hospitalization may be at risk for negative mother-child and family outcomes. Interventions that decrease parents' stress during hospitalization and promote ongoing social support after discharge may diminish this risk.