NCJ Number
216162
Journal
Truama, Violence, & Abuse: A Review Journal Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: October 2006 Pages: 260-273
Date Published
October 2006
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the prevalence and impact of childhood trauma, illustrating the many barriers to effective treatment faced by rural populations, and reviews promising evidence-based interventions for child traumatic stress and ways to increase rural populations’ access to services.
Abstract
Advances in treatment development and technology have allowed for a more optimistic outlook for meeting the needs of traumatized children living in rural/remote areas. At least three well-defined evidence-based interventions have been developed in recent years to effectively improve trauma-related distress in children: trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (AF-CBT), and parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT). The training requirements of all three interventions do not prevent the possibility of rural providers developing considerable expertise in them. The rethinking of traditional training mechanisms and broadening the array of training modalities will help to bridge the divide between professional development opportunities available to rural and urban providers. The result will be the enhanced quality of rural mental health services in general and more specifically, childhood traumatic stress treatment. Rural America is often seen as sheltered from the crime and violence that exists in urban settings. This oversimplification of rural life contradicts the fact that the incidence of traumatic exposure is just as prevalent in rural populations. In addition, when exposed to trauma, treatment options, if they exist at all, can be severely limited by virtue of the victims’ remoteness and isolation. References