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A Meta‐Analysis of the Association Between Appraisals of Trauma and Posttraumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents
Author(s) -
Mitchell Ryan,
Brennan Kate,
Curran David,
Hanna Donncha,
Dyer Kevin F. W.
Publication year - 2017
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.22157
Subject(s) - posttraumatic stress , psychology , association (psychology) , cognition , clinical psychology , meta analysis , human factors and ergonomics , cognitive appraisal , injury prevention , poison control , psychiatry , psychotherapist , medicine , environmental health
Cognitive models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) place an emphasis on the role of negative appraisals of traumatic events. It is suggested that the way in which the event is appraised determines the extent to which posttraumatic stress symptoms will be experienced. Therefore, a strong relationship between trauma appraisals and symptoms of PTSD might be expected. However, this relationship is not as firmly established in the child and adolescent literature. A systematic literature review of this relationship returned 467 publications, of which 11 met full eligibility criteria. A random effects meta‐analysis revealed a large effect size for the relationship between appraisals and PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents, r = .63, 95% CI [.58, .68], Z = 17.32, p < .001, with significant heterogeneity present. A sensitivity analysis suggested that this relationship was not contingent on 1 specific measure of appraisals. Results were consistent with the cognitive behavioral theory of PTSD, demonstrating that appraisals of trauma are strongly related to posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents. However, this relationship was not observed in a sample of 4‐ to 6‐year‐olds, indicating that further research is required to explicate cognitive processing of trauma in very young children.