Psychological screening of children for post-traumatic stress disorder

One hundred and seventy children attending a hospital accident and emergenc y department following everyday trauma were interviewed and completed the P ost-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) screening battery suggested by Yule an d Udwin (1991). Diagnostic interviews (CAPS-C) confirmed that 39 (22.9 %) f ulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD. There were significant differences b etween children with and without PTSD on each individual component of the s creening battery. Various criteria for caseness were evaluated and at 6 wee ks post trauma the screen identified up to 90 % of children diagnosed with PTSD and 73 % with borderline conditions. A subset of 36 children were reas sessed 8 months post trauma and all children with persistent PTSD were corr ectly identified by initial screen scores. The limitations of the study and the role of screening for PTSD in the absence of proven psychological inte rventions are discussed.