Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Shifting Toward a Developmental Framework

摘要

Childhood exposure to trauma is a common phenomenon, with 25% of young people experiencing a traumatic event such as physical abuse; sexual abuse; witnessing violence, war, and terrorism; natural disasters; illness; or injury by the time they reach age 16 years. Internal (eg, genetics and individual traits) and environmental (eg, home, school, community) factors interact to determine the outcome that trauma will have on a child. Many young people demonstrate resilience, the ability to adapt and cope despite adversity, and continue to develop normally. Some will be susceptible to develop mood and/or anxiety disorders. Yet others are at risk to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can have a negative impact on biological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social domains of the child. Although trauma exposure is associated with the development of different conditions, this article focuses specifically on PTSD because it is the disorder (or injury) with the most widely studied outcome across populations and trauma types.