David B. Pruitt

Physical and sexual abuse in childhood: Relationship with post-traumatic stress disorder

This study describes the reactions of children and adolescents to physical and/or sexual abuse, suggesting two distinct symptom pictures. Findings indicate that a majority (55%) of this clinical population develop symptoms characteristic of post-traumatic stress disorder, whereas abused children and adolescents who do not develop associated post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms exhibit more anxiety, depression, externalizing behaviors, and more problems overall. Significant differences were also found between children and adolescents reacting to single event abuse who display more behavior disorders and victims of ongoing abuse who appear significantly more disturbed, with symptoms ranging from depression to psychosis.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Young Children: A Reaction to Purported Sexual Abuse

Abstract This paper reviews systematically gathered data on a group of 10 young children, aged 2 to 6 years, who were evaluated and treated for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after reported sexual abuse in a daycare setting. These children developed symptoms consistent with a DSM-III-R classification of PTSD as well as Terrs descriptions of type II (repeated abuse) disorders. Discussion of Terrs classification is presented and, in addition, some significant sex differences are explored.

Results of treatment one year later : child and adolescent partial hospitalization

OBJECTIVE One criticism of academicians is that they evaluate and disseminate outcome studies based more on the value and merit of the research design than on the utility of the findings for improving clinical practice. Increasing pressure on programs to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral health care is transitioning outcome measurement from the exclusive domain of the researcher toward the clinical/organizational domain. To explore the multiple applications of such clinical outcome data, this article presents the results from a study of 114 patients completing treatment in two child and adolescent partial hospital programs. METHOD Four areas define the scope of clinical outcome measurement pertinent to partial hospitalization: changes in the patients clinical status, changes in the patients level of daily functioning, impact on the utilization of behavioral health services after discharge, and patient/family satisfaction with treatment. Using these four domains, this study compares data assessed at admission and at 1 year postdischarge. RESULTS Analyses used paired t tests primarily to measure change between admission and 1 year after discharge. Overall, the data show improvement in general functioning that remains evident up to 1 year postdischarge. CONCLUSIONS Finding positive results in specific areas emphasized therapeutically--such as family functioning and use of community-based mental health resources after discharge, and the parents attribution of improvement to experiences in treatment--provides justification for relating improvement to the treatment episode.