Posttraumatic stress disorder after dog bites in children

doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2003.10.024

The Journal of Pediatrics

Volume 144, Issue 1, January 2004, Pages 121-122

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2003.10.024 Get rights and content

Abstract

Of 22 children who were victims of dog bite, 12 had symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder 2 to 9 months after the bite. Violent dog attacks inflicting multiple and/or deep wounds were associated with risk of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Section snippets

Methods

Between April 2001 and February 2002, children who were victims of dog bites were consecutively enrolled at the Emergency Department of the University Children's Hospital. Inclusion criteria included children younger than 16 years who had received a minor surgical treatment less than 48 hours after a dog bite and whose parents agreed to answer a questionnaire 2 to 9 months after the bite.

The questionnaires included 60 items about the child's sex and age, the circumstances of the accident, type

Results

Twenty-two of 26 children met inclusion criteria. The children had a median age of 7.5 years (range, 1-14 years); 12 were boys. For 14 children, the bite occurred at home; 9 were bitten in the face. No child was hospitalized after the bite. The median delay between the accident and the interview was 7 months (range, 2-9 months).

Among the 22 children,12 had symptoms of PTSD for more than 1 month: 5 had all DSM-IV criteria for PTSD; 7 children had some but not all criteria. PTSD symptoms included

Discussion

Of the 22 child victims of dog bites, 12 had either partial (7 children) or complete (5 children) PTSD, but none received psychological support.

Some limitations must be considered in this survey. First, some differences could not have reached significance because of the limited number of subjects. This could contribute to the lack of differences between the children who did or did not have PTSD or the lack of sex susceptibility to PTSD.6., 7., 8. Second, in the absence of direct input from the

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Clinical and laboratory observationsPosttraumatic stress disorder after dog bites in children

Abstract

Section snippets

Methods

Results

Discussion

Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Dog bites to humans: demography, epidemiology, injury and risk

JAMA

Child victims of dog bites treated in emergency departments

Eur J Pediatr

Childhood traumas: an outline an overview

Am J Psychiatry

Clinical and laboratory observations
Posttraumatic stress disorder after dog bites in children