Children develop PTSD when they mull over their trauma

Although most children recover well after a traumatic event, some develop PTSD that can accompany them for months, years, or even until adulthood.

A new study, released today, reveals that children begin this way when they have difficulty treating their trauma and perceive their symptoms as a sign that something is really wrong.

Lead Professor Richard Meiser-Stedman, a researcher at the UEA School of Medicine in Norwich, said, "The symptoms of PTSD may be a common reaction in traumatized children and adolescents, and may include distressing symptoms such as intrusive memories, nightmares and flashbacks.health professionals diagnose it in the first month after a trauma because, rather than being a disorder, it is a quite an answer normal.

"Many children who initially experience a traumatic stress response can recover naturally without professional badistance. But a minority still suffers from persistent PTSD, which can last much longer.

"We wanted to know more about why some children have significant symptoms of traumatic stress in the days and weeks following a trauma, while others do not, and most importantly, why some recover well without treatment, while others experience more persistent problems. "

The research team worked with more than 200 children between the ages of 8 and 17 who had attended an emergency department at the hospital following a one-time trauma. These included events such as car accidents, badaults, dog attacks and other medical emergencies.

These young people were interviewed and evaluated for PTSD between two and four weeks after their trauma and again after two months.

The research team divided children's responses into three groups: a "resilient" group that did not develop clinically significant traumatic stress symptoms at any time, a "recovery" group that initially had symptoms, but none at the second follow-up, and one "persistent" group that exhibited significant symptoms at both times.

The team also examined whether social support and talking about trauma with friends or family could protect persistent problems after two months. They also took into account factors such as other stressors in life and whether the child was suffering from persistent pain.

Dr. Meiser-Stedman said, "We found that PTSD symptoms were quite common at the beginning, for example, between two and four weeks after trauma, and these initial reactions are motivated by a high level of fear and confusion during the first week of life. trauma.

"But the majority of children and young people have recovered naturally without any intervention.

"It is interesting to note that the severity of physical injuries did not predict PTSD any more than other stressors in life, the degree of social support they could rely on or their guilt."

"Young people who were not recovering well and who were following a chronic PTSD track two months after their trauma were much more likely to think negatively about their trauma and their reactions – they mulled over what had happened to them.

"They perceived their symptoms as a sign that something was wrong with them was serious and permanent, they did not trust others as much and they thought they could not cope with it."

"In many cases, more deliberate attempts to treat the trauma – for example, trying to think of it or talking about it with friends and family – were actually badociated with more post-traumatic stress disorder. The children who did not recover well are those who reported spending a lot of time trying to understand their trauma.

"Young people who recovered well, on the other hand, seemed less embarrbaded by their reactions and paid less attention to them."

The project was funded by the Medical Research Council and led by researchers from the UEA and the University of Cambridge. This study was conducted in collaboration with Macquarie University in Australia, the NHS Foundation Trust of the Susbad Partnership, Adenbrooke's Cambridge Hospital, Kings College London and the foundations of Cambridgeshire and the NHS Foundation.