Citation

Task Force on Community Preventive Services (USA). Am. J. Prev. Med. 2008; 35(3): 314-316.

Affiliation

Task Force on Community Preventive Services

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.amepre.2008.06.025

PMID

18692746

Abstract

Exposure to traumatic events such as physical abuse, sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence, community violence, and natural disasters is a common occurrence among children in the U.S. According to a nationally representative sample of children aged 2–17 years, surveyed at the end of 2002 and early in 2003, one in eight children experienced a form of child maltreatment, one in 12 experienced sexual victimization, and more than one in three witnessed violence or experienced another form of indirect victimization. The psychological harms that may result from exposure to such traumatic events include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and PTSD symptoms, depressive disorders and symptoms, externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors, suicidal ideation, and complicated grief. Traumatic exposures may lead to other health consequences as well, including risk-taking behavior and chronic physical disorders.

The reduction of psychological harm caused by exposure to traumatic events is thus a critical goal of public health. This report provides conclusions on the effectiveness of seven approaches to reducing the psychological harm that children and adolescents may experience following traumatic exposures, including intentional events such as sexual abuse and terrorist attacks, and unintentional events such as vehicle crashes and hurricanes.

Language: en