Abstract
Accidental injuries represent the most common type of traumatic event to which a youth is likely to be exposed. While the
majority of youth who experience an accidental injury will recover spontaneously, a significant proportion will go on to develop
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). And yet, there is little published treatment outcome research in this area. This review
focuses on two key issues within the child PTSD literature—namely the role of parents in treatment and the timing of intervention.
The issue of parental involvement in the treatment of child PTSD is a question that is increasingly being recognized as important.
In addition, the need to find a balance between providing early intervention to at risk youth while avoiding providing treatment
to those youth who will recover spontaneously has yet to be addressed. This paper outlines the rationale for and the development
of a trauma-focused CBT protocol with separate parent and child programs, for use with children and adolescents experiencing
PTSD following an accidental injury. The protocol is embedded within an indicated intervention framework, allowing for the
early identification of youth at risk within a medical setting. Two case studies are presented in order to illustrate key
issues raised in the review, implementation of the interventions, and the challenges involved.
majority of youth who experience an accidental injury will recover spontaneously, a significant proportion will go on to develop
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). And yet, there is little published treatment outcome research in this area. This review
focuses on two key issues within the child PTSD literature—namely the role of parents in treatment and the timing of intervention.
The issue of parental involvement in the treatment of child PTSD is a question that is increasingly being recognized as important.
In addition, the need to find a balance between providing early intervention to at risk youth while avoiding providing treatment
to those youth who will recover spontaneously has yet to be addressed. This paper outlines the rationale for and the development
of a trauma-focused CBT protocol with separate parent and child programs, for use with children and adolescents experiencing
PTSD following an accidental injury. The protocol is embedded within an indicated intervention framework, allowing for the
early identification of youth at risk within a medical setting. Two case studies are presented in order to illustrate key
issues raised in the review, implementation of the interventions, and the challenges involved.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-19
- DOI 10.1007/s10567-012-0124-9
- Authors
- Vanessa E. Cobham, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Sonja March, Department of Psychology, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, QLD, Australia
- Alexandra De Young, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Fiona Leeson, School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Reginald Nixon, School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Brett McDermott, Mater Medical Research Institute, Mater Health Services, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Justin Kenardy, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Journal Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review
- Online ISSN 1573-2827
- Print ISSN 1096-4037