Family stresses, strengths, and outcomes after critical injury.

Because critical injury occurs without warning, there is no time for families to prepare for this event. Stresses caused by critical injury vary in intensity and duration but certainly have the potential to create a heavy burden on family members. Prior family stress seems to be the salient indicator of the amount of assistance a family will need. The number of stresses not directly associated with the critical injury seems to be an important predictor of family adaptation outcomes. Therefore, it is important that nurses assess other stresses occurring in the family, not focusing solely on the stresses associated with critical injury. Interventions that help mobilize family strengths may be effective strategies for promoting family adaptation outcomes. Families using few coping strategies or reporting reduced resources, or both need referrals to other health care professionals or advanced practice nurses. Patient and family care conferences also may be helpful in the development of intervention plans to mobilize individual family strengths after critical injury.