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Posttraumatic stress among young urban children exposed to family violence and other potentially traumatic events
Author(s) -
Crusto Cindy A.,
Whitson Melissa L.,
Walling Sherry M.,
Feinn Richard,
Friedman Stacey R.,
Reynolds Jesse,
Amer Mona,
Kaufman Joy S.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.20590
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , mental health , posttraumatic stress , psychology , injury prevention , clinical psychology , suicide prevention , medicine , occupational safety and health , poison control , psychiatry , medical emergency , pathology
This study examines the relationship between the number of types of traumatic events experienced by children 3 to 6 years old, parenting stress, and children's posttraumatic stress (PTS). Parents and caregivers provided data for 154 urban children admitted into community‐based mental health or developmental services. By parent and caregiver report, children experienced an average of 4.9 different types of potentially traumatic events. Nearly one quarter of the children evidenced clinically significant PTS. Posttraumatic stress was positively and significantly related to family violence and other family‐related trauma exposure, nonfamily violence and trauma exposure, and parenting stress. Additionally, parenting stress partially mediated the relationship between family violence and trauma exposure and PTS. This study highlights the need for early violence and trauma exposure screening in help‐seeking populations so that appropriate interventions are initiated.