Posttraumatic stress disorder and childhood traumatic loss: a secondary analysis of symptom severity and treatment outcome
Date
2020
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Publisher
Journal of traumatic stress
Abstract
Loss is a commonly experienced traumatic event among children. Although the experience of loss can potentially lead to posttraumatic
stress symptoms (PTSS), little is known about PTSS levels after traumatic loss versus other traumatic events. We investigated data from a
randomized controlled trial (RCT) on trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF–CBT) versus a waitlist condition for children with
PTSS. In a secondary analysis, we compared participants who reported traumatic loss as their index event (n = 23) to those who reported
the two most frequently reported index events in the RCT: sexual abuse (SA; n = 59) and physical violence (PV; n = 55). The index event
was rated according to the participants’ most distressing traumatic event reported on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for Children
and Adolescents. Participants who experienced traumatic loss reported fewer PTSS and better general functioning than those who reported
SA. A subgroup RCT (n = 19) revealed TF–CBT to be highly effective in reducing PTSS in cases of traumatic loss, d = 1.69. The effect
sizes for PTSS indicated that all three trauma groups benefited from TF–CBT. In the waitlist group, PTSS symptoms improved for SA and
PV, ds = 0.76 and 0.98, respectively, but not for traumatic loss, d = 0.23. These findings suggest that TF–CBT is a feasible and promising
treatment for children who experience PTSS after traumatic loss. The results are limited by the post hoc quality of the analyses and lack
of a measure of grief in the RCT.
Description
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Keywords
PTSD, trauma, treatment outcomes, International Resources, Germany, research, grief
Citation
Unterhitzenberger, J., Sachser, C., & Rosner, R. (2020). Posttraumatic stress disorder and childhood traumatic loss: a secondary analysis of symptom severity and treatment outcome. Journal of traumatic stress.