Traumatic stress may impact development of brain regions important for emotion processing. Timing of activation may be altered in youth with PTSS.

Our objective was to examine the relationship between guilt and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in children with a history of interpersonal violence. Eighty-seven children between the ages of 5 and 16 years (mean age = 11.70 years) were administered the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Children and Adolescents to assess for PTSD symptoms and associated features. Multiple regression analysis found that guilt over acts of commission or omission (behaviors the child performed or failed to perform during the event or to prevent it) was highly associated with PTSD severity. Derealization and changes in attachment were also significantly related to PTSD symptoms. Findings suggest that it may be important for clinicians to assess for associated features in traumatized children as these are associated with greater PTSD severity. Posttraumatic interventions may benefit from targeting these symptoms.

This study provides preliminary evidence of the feasibility and efficacy of the Stanford cue-centered treatment for reducing posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety in children chronically exposed to violence. Sixty-five youth aged 8–17 years were recruited from 13 schools. Participants were randomly assigned to cue-centered treatment or a waitlist control group. Assessments were conducted at 4 discrete time points. Self-report measures assessed youth symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression.Self-report ratings of caregiver anxiety and depression as well as caregiver report of child PTSD were also obtained. Therapists evaluated participants’ overall symptom improvement across treatment sessions. Hierarchal linear modeling analyses showed that compared to the waitlist group, the cue-centered treatment group had greater reductions in PTSD symptoms both by caregiver and child report, as well as caregiver anxiety. Cue-centered treatment, a hybrid trauma intervention merging diverse theoretical approaches, demonstrated feasibility,adherence, and efficacy in treating youth with a history of interpersonal violence.

No abstract

No abstract