Project Highlights: Evaluation of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Component

• NCJ Number: 221947
• Author(s): Jennifer J. Zajac; Jessica DeGel; Larry Fish Ph.D.
• Date Published: September 2007
• Length: 3 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2002/2003/2004-DS/DS/DS-19/19/19-13564
• Sponsoring Agency: Pennsylvania Cmssn on Crime and Delinquency
• Corporate Author: University of Pittsburgh
• Sale Source: Pennsylvania Cmssn on Crime and Delinquency
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded on March 17, 2008. For the executive summary see NCJ-221948, and for the full report see NCJ-221949.

Annotation

This paper reports findings from an evaluative study of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Residential Treatment Curriculum (PTSD RTC) in the treatment of female juvenile offenders.

Abstract

Outcome findings include: (1) females in both the treatment and comparison groups experienced a decrease in their PTSD symptoms with the levels of PTSD symptoms decreasing at a greater rate than females in the comparison group and (2) females in both groups experienced a decrease in their levels of antisocial thinking and attitudes with levels decreasing at a significantly greater rate for females in the treatment group than those in the comparison group. Initial process-related findings of the intervention were positive, specifically in the areas of development, training, and implementation. An evaluation of the PTSD RTC, funded by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to treat PTSD in female juvenile offenders, was conducted to assess the implementation of the PTSD RTC at treatment facilities with female juvenile offenders and to evaluate the effect of the intervention on participants. This report presents highlighted findings of the evaluation.