ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses adolescents who are alleged to have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in personal injury lawsuits. Minors in this setting are rarely litigants by their own design, therefore the chapter explores common reasons for reluctance to engage with psychological evaluations and the methods psychologists use for determining those factors. The author describes the differences between self-report based and performance-based psychological tests and argues for a combination of these instruments in assessing minors alleged to have post-traumatic stress disorder. The chapter provides a detailed case example, of a young woman who filed a lawsuit for long-term molestation by her gymnastics coach during her adolescence, in order to exemplify the role of childhood post-traumatic stress disorder in identify formation. Finally, the author addresses how the lawsuit itself is a variable that may affect a child's development and resolution of post-traumatic stress disorder.
