ABSTRACT
Although few studies have evaluated the prevalence rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents, it is currently estimated that between 3 and 15% of girls and 1 to 6% of boys meet full criteria for PTSD (The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 2001). A review of several studies exploring the prevalence of trauma exposure in school-aged samples indicates that trauma rates may be as high as 40 to 70% (Feeny, Foa, Treadwell, & March, 2004). PTSD in children may be the result of being a victim or witness of a violent crime/act, accident, or natural disaster, or the result of physical or sexual abuse. Though not all children who experience a traumatic event will experience symptoms that warrant the full diagnosis of PTSD, the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to trauma are unique and result in dysfunction on some level and to at least some degree (e.g., the victim’s belief system changes related to safety and one’s own powerlessness, there are physiological changes following the event and during post-trauma re-adjustment). Intervention on some level can be beneficial to resolve the deleterious effects of trauma on physiological and psychological functioning that manifests in post-traumatic symptoms (PTS).
