NCJ Number
145971
Date Published
1994
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper identifies symptoms and disorders associated with children's exposure to violence and discusses assessment and referral issues, as well as promising treatment approaches.
Abstract
Studies have found associations between children's exposure to violence and posttraumatic symptoms and disorders. Symptom clusters include re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance behavior, numbing of responsiveness, and increased arousal. Parents, caregivers, and clinicians should also be alert to selective inattention, increasing cognitive rigidity, and reduced mastery motivation. Once a referral is made, clinicians who evaluate infants exposed to violence should consider certain factors in deciding appropriate intervention. These factors are the safety and stability of the child's current living situation, the age and development of the child at the time of the trauma and the assessment, the quality of the pretraumatic and current caregiving environment, the type of violent event experienced by the child, and acuteness versus chronicity of trauma. Other factors that should be considered are the actual and psychological proximity of the violent events, the posttraumatic and other symptoms in the child and caregivers, and strengths and protective factors in the child and the caregiving environment. No studies of treatment efficacy have been conducted, so no proven treatment methods can be touted. Still, no treatment for posttraumatic symptoms can occur if the danger of further trauma is an immediate possibility. A safe environment for child and family is essential to successful treatment. The author identifies some treatment goals. Case studies are provided. 27 references