Table 4.

Child Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale Scores according to Treatment Group

Variable	Sedation Protocol (n = 40)	Usual Care (n = 62)	P Value*
Age at CPSS, n (%)			0.83
8–12 yr	18 (45)	28 (45)
≥13 yr	22 (55)	34 (55)
Normal functional status at baseline, n (%)	30 (75)	53 (85)	0.30
PRISM III-12 score, median (IQR)	9 (6.5–16)	11 (6–17)	0.98
CPSS subscale scores†
Reexperiencing	2.8 (2.8)	2.3 (2.8)	0.59
Avoidance	2.8 (3.0)	2.2 (3.7)	0.54
Hyperarousal	3.7 (3.5)	3.5 (4.2)	0.96
Total symptom severity score†	9.3 (8.0)	8.0 (9.7)	0.72
Screened positive for PTSD (score ≥ 11), n (%)	14 (35)	17 (27)	0.72
Severity-of-impairment score†	1.3 (2.2)	1.1 (2.0)	0.72

Definition of abbreviations: CPSS = Child PTSD Symptom Scale; IQR = interquartile range; PICU = pediatric ICU; PRISM III-12 = Pediatric Risk of Mortality III score from first 12 hours in the PICU; PTSD = post-traumatic stress disorder.

Data are mean (SD) unless otherwise indicated.

^*P values for the comparison of CPSS scores between treatment groups were calculated using linear and logistic regression accounting for PICU as a cluster variable using generalized estimating equations for continuous and binary variables, respectively, with adjustment for categorical age at CPSS, functional status at baseline, and PRISM III-12 score.

^†Higher scores indicate higher severity of symptoms. Total symptom severity score ranges from 0 to 51, with higher scores indicating greater severity. Severity-of-impairment score ranges from 0 to 7, with higher scores indicating greater impairment. Mean scores from 75 children 2 years after the Northridge, California, earthquake in 1994 were total score = 7.6, reexperiencing subscale score = 1.9, avoidance subscale score = 2.7, and hyperarousal subscale score = 2.7 (14).