Posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents exposed to family violence: II. Treatment.

Abstract

Interventions for youth exposed to family violence recently have incorporated a trauma focus with the objective of reducing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms along with alleviating other wide-ranging childhood disorders. This paper describes generally agreed-upon treatment components for youth exposed to violence in the home, including re-exposure interventions, education about violence and cognitive restructuring, processing of emotional cues, social problemsolving skills, and parenting interventions. Empirically evaluated treatment programs for different developmental stages (preschool, school-age, and adolescence) are summarized and remaining questions about how to best focus treatment efforts for youth traumatized by family violence are presented.

Engaging Men in the Fight against Gender Violence

“…Several scholars in psychology repeatedly demonstrated the consequences of violence, child abuse, and neglect on the development of violent behavior in adulthood (De Bellis, 2001;Van der Kolk, 2005;Krug, Dahlberg, Mercy, Zwi, & Lozano, 2002;Vickerman & Margolin, 2007;Ford, 2005). Other findings from an anthropological and sociological perspective (Carr & VanDeusen, 2002;Jewkes et al, 2006), including our findings in Rwanda, indicate that traumatic childhood experiences can lead to a socialization process where victimized boys may cope with power abuse and trauma in childhood and become "tough boys," violent men and husbands within a context of dominant masculinity.…”

Children Who Witness Violence: What Services Do They Need To Heal?

“…Consistent with the ideas presented above, Groves and Zuckerman (1997) pointed out the need for interventions for parents and other caregivers of children who witness violence in addition to individual level intervention with children. Individual interventions with young children may focus on play while older children and adolescent intervention may be more appropriately focused on cognitive restructuring, problem solving, safety planning, and violence education (Vickerman & Margolin, 2007). Lieberman, Van Horn, and Ippen (2005) have reported positive findings for reductions in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in both children and parents/mothers exposed to DV when treating with Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP).…”

The Impact of Emotional Abuse on Psychological Distress among Child Protective Services-Involved Adolescents with Borderline-to-Mild Intellectual Disability

“…Education to enhance caregiver skills in building positive relationships and in parenting youth with disabilities would be an important preventative endeavor in reducing poor outcomes for youth in CPS care (Grogan-Kaylor, Ruffolo, Ortega, & Clarke, 2008). Specialized psychotherapeutic and educational interventions would also be key treatments for youth with borderline-to-mild ID exposed to domestic violence and abuse (Vickerman & Margolin, 2007). Although understanding a client's history of maltreatment continues to be an important factor in understanding current mental health issues, the current data suggest that IQ is also a significant predictor of distress in this population, beyond the contribution of experiences of maltreatment.…”