Rates of post-traumatic stress disorder in trauma-exposed children and adolescents: meta-analysis. Br J Psychiatry 2014;204:335-40
Date
05/03/2014Pubmed ID
24785767DOI
10.1192/bjp.bp.113.131227Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84899724342 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 542 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: It is unclear how many children and adolescents develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after trauma.
AIMS: To determine the incidence of PTSD in trauma-exposed children and adolescents as assessed with well-established diagnostic interviews and to examine potential moderators of the estimate.
METHOD: A systematic literature search identified 72 peer-reviewed articles on 43 independent samples (n = 3563). Samples consisting only of participants seeking or receiving mental health treatment were excluded. Main analyses involved pooled incidence estimates and meta-analyses of variance.
RESULTS: The overall rate of PTSD was 15.9% (95% CI 11.5-21.5), which varied according to the type of trauma and gender. Least at risk were boys exposed to non-interpersonal trauma (8.4%, 95% CI 4.7-14.5), whereas girls exposed to interpersonal trauma showed the highest rate (32.9%, 95% CI 19.8-49.3). No significant difference was found for the choice of assessment interview or the informant of the assessment.
CONCLUSIONS: Research conducted with the best available assessment instruments shows that a significant minority of children and adolescents develop PTSD after trauma exposure, with those exposed to interpersonal trauma and girls at particular risk. The estimates provide a benchmark for DSM-5 and ICD-11.
Author List
Alisic E, Zalta AK, van Wesel F, Larsen SE, Hafstad GS, Hassanpour K, Smid GEAuthor
Sadie E. Larsen PhD Associate Professor in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentChild
Female
Humans
Incidence
Life Change Events
Male
Prevalence
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
