NCJ Number
245304
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 38 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2014 Pages: 84-90
Date Published
January 2014
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study determined whether youth (6-17 years old) who were referred for treatment due to sexual, physical, or both types of abuse were diagnosed with distinctive symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as defined by DSM-IV-TR.
Abstract
The overall pattern of findings indicates that youth who had experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, or both had distinct PTSD symptom cluster profiles that support the use of therapeutic approaches tailored to these profiles. Data analyzed for the 749 youth participants identified 5 PTSD symptom cluster profiles, with each profile representing approximately 20 percent of the sample. There were no differences among the five PTSD profiles regarding gender or ethnicity or whether legal charges had been filed against the abuser. As predicted, there were significant differences in PTSD symptom groups presented by those youth with a history of sexual abuse compared to those with a history of physical abuse. To date, various techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT and CPC-CBT) have been effective in treating PTSD in children who have experienced abuse. CBT principles can be tailored to address distinct patterns of PTSD symptoms presenting with any of the five types of PTSD symptom clusters identified. The study sample was composed of youth who were referred to a treatment center renowned for its use of TF-CBT or CPC-CBT. Future research should determine whether the present DSM-IV-TR symptom cluster profiles will apply to the DSM-5 after reliable and valid measures for the DSM-5 criteria are constructed. 2 tables and 28 references