Children, Trauma, and Posttraumatic Stress

A study in the Archives of General Psychiatry examined the developmental epidemiology of posttraumatic stress (PTS) in children, and whether or not traumatic events have a significant influence on childhood psychiatric disorders. Using a longitudinal study design, researchers assessed traumatic events and PTS symptoms in 1,420 children aged 9, 11, and 13 years, and followed up annually until age 16. Greater than two thirds of subjects reported at least 1 traumatic event by age 16; 13.4% of those subjects developed some PTS symptoms. PTS symptoms for solitary or first-time traumas were few and often short-lived. Violet or sexual trauma were associated with highest symptom levels, and >0.5% of children reached DSM-IV criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder.
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/64/5/577

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