NCJ Number
240109
Journal
JAMA Volume: 290 Issue: 5 Dated: April 2003 Pages: 603-611
Date Published
April 2003
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study evaluated the effectiveness of a school-based cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to reduce children's symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that has stemmed from personally witnessing or being personally exposed to violence.
Abstract
The evaluation found that after 3 months of participation in the intervention group, 61 sixth-grade students who were randomly assigned to the intervention group had lower scores on PTSD symptoms, depression, and psychosocial dysfunction than a matched group of similar students (n = 65) on a wait-list for later participation in the intervention program; however, adjusted mean differences between the two groups at 3 months did not show significant differences in the two groups' acting-out behaviors and learning in the classroom, as rated by their teachers. After 6 months, when the waiting-list group had also received 3 months of the intervention, a comparison of the two groups showed no significant differences in PTSD symptoms, depression, or psychosocial functioning. As in the 3 months assessment, the teachers did not report significant differences between the groups on classroom behavior. The evaluation concluded that a standardized 10-session cognitive-behavioral group intervention can significantly decrease PTSD and depression in students who have been exposed to violence. Such a program can be effectively delivered at school by trained school-based mental health clinicians. Participants were sixth-grade students attending two large middle schools in Los Angeles during the 2001-2002 academic year. Students were assigned to the intervention groups based on a self-report questionnaire that focused on exposure to violence and PTSD symptoms. The objectives of each of the 10 sessions are summarized. 4 figures, 2 tables, and 69 references