Psychosocial and Pharmacological Interventions for Child Crime Victims

• NCJ Number: 199618
• Journal: Journal of Traumatic Stress Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2003 Pages: 175-186
• Author(s): Judith A. Cohen; Lucy Berliner; Anthony P. Mannarino
• Date Published: April 2003
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): R10 MH55963; K02 MH1938
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

After discussing psychosocial and pharmacological interventions for child crime victims, this paper addresses interventions for repeat victimization, treatment-seeking behavior, and multicultural issues in the treatment of child crime victims.

Abstract

Psychosocial interventions that have been used specifically for child crime victims include psychoeducation, crisis intervention, psychological debriefing, play therapy, psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapies, family-systems-based therapies, traumatic bereavement therapy, and cognitive-behavioral therapy. This paper briefly describes each of these types of interventions. Psychopharmacological agents have been prescribed for child victims of crime who have developed specific symptomatology, including panic attacks, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, and behavioral disorders. There is little documentation of the use of medication for these victims and even less empirical support for such use. Information on the treatment of children who have been victimized by multiple criminal acts has been limited to the studies of sexually and physically abused children. These studies suggest that similar interventions may be effective for victimized children regardless of the number of abuse episodes experienced. Little is known about the treatment-seeking behaviors of child crime victims. The few studies of sexually or physically abused children that have documented the therapy experience suggest that the nature of the crime as well as demographic, psychological, and system variables are associated with follow-through on referral to treatment and length of treatment participation. Culturally sensitive treatment makes it more likely that members of ethnic and/or racial minority groups will become successfully engaged in the therapeutic process and less likely to discontinue treatment. The authors advise that although there is insufficient empirical information to establish specific standards of care for all child crime victims, particularly victims of crimes other than sexual assault, some general guidance for the effective treatment of child crime victims is possible. Nine such recommendations are provided in this paper. 100 references