 
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on September 30, 2010
Relatively brief intervention within 30 days of witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event may help protect children from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Statistically, after experiencing a potentially traumatic event as many as 1 in 5 children will develop PTSD.
The new technique, called Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) prevented chronic and sub-clinical PTSD in 73 percent of children and also reduced symptoms such as reliving a traumatic experience, sleep disturbances, emotional numbness, angry outbursts or difficulties concentrating.
In the study, 106 children ranging from 7 to 17 years in age and a caregiver were randomly assigned to receive the four-session Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention or a four-session supportive comparison intervention, both provided within 30 days following exposure to a traumatic event.
Children were referred by police, a forensic sexual abuse program, or the local pediatric emergency department in an urban city in Connecticut.
Read in Full:Â http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/09/30/brief-early-intervention-slows-ptsd-in-children/18970.html
Leave a Reply