Cited by 828Posttraumatic Stress Disorder ResearchChild Abuse and TraumaChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

A meta-analysis of risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents

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Trickey, David, Siddaway, Andy P., Meiser-Stedman, Richard, Serpell, Lucy, Field, Andy P.·2012·Clinical Psychology Review

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex and chronic disorder that causes substantial distress and interferes with social and educational functioning. Consequently, identifying the risk factors that make a child more likely to experience traumatic distress is of academic, clinical and social importance. This meta-analysis estimated the population effect sizes of 25 potential risk factors for PTSD in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years across 64 studies (N=32,238). Medium to large effect sizes were shown for many factors relating to subjective experience of the event and post-trauma variables (low social support, peri-trauma fear, perceived life threat, social withdrawal, comorbid psychological problem, poor family functioning, distraction, PTSD at time 1, and thought suppression); whereas pre-trauma variables and more objective measures of the assumed severity of the event generated small to medium effect sizes. This indicates that subjective peri-trauma factors and post-event factors are likely to have a major role in determining whether a child develops PTSD following exposure to a traumatic event. Such factors could potentially be assessed following a potentially traumatic event in order to screen for those most vulnerable to developing PTSD and target treatment efforts accordingly. The findings support the cognitive model of PTSD as a way of understanding its development and guiding interventions to reduce symptoms.

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  1. Blake, D. D., Weathers, F. W., Nagy, L. M., Kaloupek, D. G., Gusman, F. D., Charney, D. S., & Keane, T. M. (1995). The development of a clinician-administered PTSD scale. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 8, 75-90.
  2. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2 nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
  3. Thabet, A. A., & Vostanis, P. (1999). Posttraumatic stress reactions in children of war. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40, 385-391.

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Authors
Trickey, D., Siddaway, A. P., Meiser-Stedman, R., Serpell, L., & Field, A. P.
Affiliations
  • University of Hertfordshire (GB)
  • North East London NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
  • University of Sussex (GB)
Corresponding author
Trickey, David
Venue
Clinical Psychology Review
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-03
Volume
32
Issue
2
Pages
122-138
ISSN
0272-7358 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2017451655
Cited by
828
References
127
Citations by year
2026: 52 · 2025: 53 · 2024: 73 · 2023: 55 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 76 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 68 · 2018: 75 · 2017: 54 · 2016: 42 · 2015: 54 · 2014: 58 · 2013: 32 · 2012: 16
FWCI
5.23
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Clinical Psychology Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia) (submittedVersion)
  • Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Sussex Research Online (University of Sussex) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Medical Research Council (MC_EX_G0802821)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
post-traumatic stress disorder, children, adolescents, risk factors, traumatic events, social support, perceived life threat, social withdrawal, family functioning, thought suppression, PTSD screening, trauma exposure
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Fear, Humans, Life Change Events, Risk Factors, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Stress, Psychological

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