Posttraumatic stress disorder and childhood traumatic loss: a secondary analysis of symptom severity and treatment outcome

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dc.contributor.authorUnterhitzenberger, J., Sachser, C., & Rosner, R.
dc.date.accessioned2020-05-26T16:12:14Z
dc.date.available2020-05-26T16:12:14Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.description.abstractLoss 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.en_US
dc.identifier.citationUnterhitzenberger, 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.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jts.22499
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/4733
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherJournal of traumatic stressen_US
dc.subjectPTSDen_US
dc.subjecttraumaen_US
dc.subjecttreatment outcomesen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.subjectGermanyen_US
dc.subjectresearchen_US
dc.subjectgriefen_US
dc.titlePosttraumatic stress disorder and childhood traumatic loss: a secondary analysis of symptom severity and treatment outcomeen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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