Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-xtgtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T19:49:51.102Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Pilot Study to Explore the Effect of Symptom Monitoring in Children and Adolescents with Posttraumatic Stress Reactions following Road Traffic Accidents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2008

Emma Hardy  and
Paul Stallard
Emma Hardy
Affiliation:
University of Bath, UK
Paul Stallard*
Affiliation:
University of Bath, UK
*
Reprint requests to Paul Stallard, University of Bath, Mental Health Research and Development Unit, Level 7 Wessex House, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK. E-mail: paul.stallard@awp.nhs.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Each year a large number of children and adolescents develop significant posttraumatic symptoms after being involved in road traffic accidents (RTA). Consequently there is a need to develop effective interventions to prevent or minimize such reactions. The use of symptom monitoring with adults has found promising results. This pilot study explores the use of symptom monitoring with children and young people involved in RTAs. Twelve young people who met criteria on screening questionnaires for significant posttraumatic symptoms completed symptom monitoring diaries. Following completion of a diary once a day for 3 weeks, 3/12 children (25%) fell below criteria, suggesting significant posttraumatic symptoms. Feedback about self-monitoring was generally positive and suggests that symptom monitoring may be a helpful yet simple intervention for use with child trauma victims.

Keywords

Children and young peopleposttraumatic symptomssymptom monitoringroad traffic accidents
Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 36 , Issue 4: Anxiety of Childhood and Adolescence , July 2008 , pp. 431 - 435
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bisson, J. I., Shepherd, J. P., Joy, D., Probert, R. and Newcombe, R. G. 2004. Early cognitive-behavioural therapy for post-traumatic stress symptoms after physical injury. British Journal of Psychiatry, 184, 63–69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ehlers, A., Clark, D., Hackmann, A., McManus, F., Fennell, M., Herbert, C. and Mayou, R. 2003. A randomised controlled trial of cognitive therapy, a self-help booklet, and repeated assessments as early interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 60, 1024–1032.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foa, E. B., Johnson, K. M., Feeny, N. C. and Treadwell, K. R. H. 2001. The child PTSD symptom scale: a preliminary examination of its psychometric properties. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 376–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NICE 2005. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): the management of PTSD in adults and children in primary and secondary care. http://www.nice.org.uk.Google Scholar
Smith, P., Perrin, S., Dyregrov, A. and Yule, W. 2003. Principle components analysis of the Impact of Events Scale with children in war. Personality and Individual Differences, 34, 315–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, P., Yule, W., Perrin, S., Tranah, T., Dalgleish, T. and Clark, D. M. 2007. Cognitive-behavioural therapy for PTSD in children and adolescents: a preliminary randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 46, 1051–1061.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stallard, P., Salter, E. and Velleman, R. 2004. Posttraumatic stress disorder following road traffic accidents: a second prospective study. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 13, 172–178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stallard, P., Udwin, O., Goddard, M. and Hibbert, S. 2007. The availability of cognitive behavioural therapy within specialized child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS): a national survey. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 35, 501–505.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tarrier, N., Sommerfield, C., Reynolds, M. and Pilgrim, H. 1999. Symptom self-monitoring in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. Behaviour Therapy, 30, 597–605.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.