Posttraumatic stress in children following acute physical injury

Objective: To prospectively assess the presence of posttraumatic stress dis order (PTSD) in children hospitalized following acute physical injury. The focus was identification of the incidence of PTSD, PTSD symptoms, and explo ration of factors associated with development of PTSD symptoms and disorder . Method: Forty children ages 8-17 were interviewed approximately 1 month fol lowing a serious injury and assessed for PTSD, pretrauma behavior problems, levels of peritraumatic fear, and posttraumatic thought suppression. Results: Twenty-two and a half percent of participants met DSM-IV diagnosti c criteria for PTSD; 47.5% met criteria for at least two of the three PTSD symptom clusters. Greater thought suppression was associated with increased symptoms of PTSD, as were the child's peritraumatic fear response and pret rauma internalizing behaviors. Conclusions: Results suggest that many children who have been hospitalized for physical trauma may be experiencing clinically significant PTSD symptom atology and may benefit from psychological as well as medical intervention.