Background
For many children, surviving a critical illness is only the beginning of recovery. Admission to a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) can be a frightening experience marked by invasive procedures, physical discomfort, uncertainty, and separation from normal routines. While the physical effects of critical illness are often closely monitored, the psychological consequences can receive far less attention.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is increasingly recognized as a potential outcome among children who have experienced serious medical events. Symptoms such as intrusive thoughts, avoidance behaviors, anxiety, and emotional distress can persist long after discharge and affect a child’s overall well-being and quality of life.
Despite growing international evidence on the psychological impact of pediatric critical care, local research on PTSD risk among PICU survivors remains limited. This created an important opportunity to better understand the mental health needs of children recovering from critical illness and to generate evidence that could inform future screening and support strategies.
The Research Challenge
The research team sought to determine the level of PTSD risk among children and adolescents who had been admitted to a PICU and to identify whether demographic and clinical factors were associated with increased risk.
The study explored questions such as:
- Are certain groups of children more vulnerable to PTSD after intensive care?
- Does the length of hospitalization influence psychological outcomes?
- Can demographic and clinical characteristics help identify children who may benefit from additional support?
Beyond answering these questions, the project also addressed a broader challenge frequently encountered in clinical research: how should researchers interpret findings when meaningful patterns emerge but do not achieve statistical significance?
Data2Stats’ Role
Data2Stats provided comprehensive statistical support throughout the project, helping transform clinical and questionnaire data into meaningful and actionable insights.
The team supported the study through:
- Research consultation and guidance on study objectives and measurement approaches;
- Data cleaning, de-identification, and validation of clinical and questionnaire data;
- Development of the statistical analysis plan;
- Statistical analysis and interpretation of findings;
- Preparation of publication-ready tables and summaries;
- Assistance in drafting recommendations and identifying future research directions.
By ensuring that the data were carefully managed and appropriately analyzed, the project produced findings that could meaningfully contribute to discussions on pediatric mental health and post-discharge care.
Statistical Methods Used
To answer the research questions, several statistical methods were employed.
Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the participants’ demographic and clinical characteristics, including age, sex, nutritional status, and length of hospital stay.
The Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale-8 (CRIES-8), a validated screening instrument for identifying children at risk for PTSD, was used to assess psychological outcomes following discharge.
Additional analyses were performed to examine whether demographic and clinical characteristics were associated with PTSD risk. These methods allowed the researchers to explore patterns within the data and identify factors that may warrant further investigation.
What the Data Revealed
The study found that more than one-third of participants screened at risk for PTSD following their PICU admission, highlighting the importance of considering mental health outcomes as part of recovery from critical illness.
The analysis also revealed several notable patterns. Higher PTSD risk appeared to be more common among:
- Older adolescents;
- Male participants;
- Underweight patients; and
- Children with longer hospital stays.
At first glance, these findings suggested that certain groups of children may be more vulnerable to developing PTSD symptoms after discharge.
Despite these observed trends, the associations did not reach statistical significance.
A Valuable Lesson in Clinical Research
At first, non-significant findings can feel disappointing. Researchers may wonder whether their study has failed to produce meaningful results.
In reality, studies like this offer one of the most important lessons in medical research:
Not every observed trend becomes a statistically significant finding.
Several factors can influence whether an association reaches statistical significance, but one of the most common is sample size.
When sample sizes are limited, studies may not have enough statistical power to confidently determine whether observed patterns represent true relationships or simply reflect random variation. This is especially common in studies involving specialized populations or conditions where participant recruitment can be challenging.
Importantly, non-significant findings should not be dismissed. They can:
- Generate new research questions;
- Identify potential areas of concern;
- Guide future investigations;
- Inform the design of larger studies; and
- Contribute valuable preliminary evidence to an emerging field of research.
In this case, the findings underscore the need for larger and multicenter studies to further investigate PTSD risk among pediatric intensive care survivors and to strengthen the evidence base for mental health interventions.
Outcome and Impact
The project successfully generated preliminary evidence on PTSD risk among children following PICU admission and highlighted the importance of incorporating psychological outcomes into pediatric critical care research.
More importantly, the study demonstrated the value of rigorous statistical support in helping researchers:
- Interpret findings responsibly;
- Understand the limitations of their data;
- Avoid overstating conclusions; and
- Translate evidence into meaningful recommendations.
The findings also reinforced the importance of routine psychological screening and the development of appropriate referral pathways for children who may require additional mental health support after discharge.
Key Takeaways
- Critical illness can have lasting psychological effects on children, even after physical recovery.
- A substantial proportion of pediatric intensive care survivors may be at risk for PTSD.
- Meaningful trends do not always translate into statistically significant findings.
- Adequate sample sizes are essential for generating robust and reliable evidence.
- Non-significant results remain valuable and can inform future research and clinical practice.
At Data2Stats, we believe that statistical analysis is about more than producing numbers. It is about helping researchers understand what their data can – and cannot – say, enabling them to make evidence-based decisions and contribute meaningful knowledge that can improve healthcare outcomes.
Because sometimes, the most important finding is not the answer itself, but the question it inspires researchers to ask next.
