Citation

Cohen JA, Deblinger E, Mannarino AP, Steer RA. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 2004; 43(4): 393-402.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh PA 15212, USA. jcohen1@wpahs.org

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, Publisher Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/00004583-200404000-00005

PMID

15187799

PMCID

PMC1201422

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the differential efficacy of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and child-centered therapy for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related emotional and behavioral problems in children who have suffered sexual abuse. METHOD: Two hundred twenty-nine 8- to 14-year-old children and their primary caretakers were randomly assigned to the above alternative treatments. These children had significant symptoms of PTSD, with 89% meeting full DSM-IV PTSD diagnostic criteria. More than 90% of these children had experienced traumatic events in addition to sexual abuse. RESULTS: A series analyses of covariance indicated that children assigned to TF-CBT, compared to those assigned to child-centered therapy, demonstrated significantly more improvement with regard to PTSD, depression, behavior problems, shame, and abuse-related attributions. Similarly, parents assigned to TF-CBT showed greater improvement with respect to their own self-reported levels of depression, abuse-specific distress, support of the child, and effective parenting practices. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the growing evidence supporting the efficacy of TF-CBT with children suffering PTSD as a result of sexual abuse and suggests the efficacy of this treatment for children who have experienced multiple traumas.

Language: en