Findings of an Early Intervention to Address Children’s Traumatic Stress Implemented in the Child Advocacy Center Setting Following Sexual Abuse

Abstract

It has been well established that childhood exposure to abuse and trauma constitutes a major threat to children's development, as well as to later psychiatric, physical, and behavioral health. Identification of, and early intervention with, children experiencing symptoms of traumatic stress is an important goal. The Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing children's traumatic stress symptoms and reducing the odds of full or partial PTSD diagnosis at 3 months following end of treatment in a previous randomized controlled trial. The current chart review of CFTSI cases completed with 114 caregiverchild dyads in a Child Advocacy Center setting found that the brief, early family-strengthening intervention is effective in reducing symptoms in a diverse sample of children and adolescents who recently experienced and/or disclosed sexual abuse.

Research domain criteria and the study of trauma in children: Implications for assessment and treatment research

“…This brief intervention has been shown to reduce the onset of both full and partial PTSD compared to a psychoeducational/support comparison condition (Berkowitz, Stover, & Marans, 2011). In an open trial chart review study of CFTSI, number of previous traumas experienced prior to the new incident that prompted implementation of CFTSI and severity of posttraumatic symptoms assessed at the outset of intervention were significantly associated with post-treatment outcomes (Hahn, Oransky, Epstein, Stover, & Marans, 2016). Broadening exploration of genetic and neurobiological markers (e.g.…”

Predictors of Family Engagement in Child Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screening Following Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence

“…Public health approaches to addressing trauma-related mental health problems prioritize early intervention strategies (Kearns et al, 2012; Magruder et al, 2016; Qi et al, 2016), with growing evidence that early intervention programs can prevent the development of PTSD (Berkowitz et al, 2011; Brunet et al, 2013; Hahn et al, 2016). To date, there exist numerous evidence-based PTSD interventions (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cohen et al, 2016; Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention, Berkowitz et al, 2011; and others) designed to decrease PTSD symptoms and other serious adverse post-trauma reactions.…”

Case Study of a Child and Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC) in a Canadian City

“…Additionally, many times victims will delay or not disclose at all because the abuser has threatened some kind of punishment if they do so (Fogliati & Bussey, 2014;Winter & Jeglic, 2017). Importantly, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2011) has indicated that multiple studies have demonstrated a link between a child's emotional and behavioural well-being with the level of social support they receive after a traumatic event (Hahn, Oransky, Epstein, Stover, & Marans, 2016). Furthermore, it was found that children and adolescents who had either experienced child sexual abuse (CSA) or recently disclosed, and received Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) services through a CAC setting, showed a reduction in symptoms (Hahn et al, 2016).…”

“…Importantly, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 2011) has indicated that multiple studies have demonstrated a link between a child's emotional and behavioural well-being with the level of social support they receive after a traumatic event (Hahn, Oransky, Epstein, Stover, & Marans, 2016). Furthermore, it was found that children and adolescents who had either experienced child sexual abuse (CSA) or recently disclosed, and received Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) services through a CAC setting, showed a reduction in symptoms (Hahn et al, 2016). The goals of the treatment are to reduce traumatic stress symptoms and the likelihood that further issues will arise like PTSD or other related ailments (Hahn et al, 2016).…”

“…Furthermore, it was found that children and adolescents who had either experienced child sexual abuse (CSA) or recently disclosed, and received Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) services through a CAC setting, showed a reduction in symptoms (Hahn et al, 2016). The goals of the treatment are to reduce traumatic stress symptoms and the likelihood that further issues will arise like PTSD or other related ailments (Hahn et al, 2016). However, the purposes of this paper is not to encourage one particular treatment over another, but simply to point out that having loving, supportive providers who believe the disclosure as well as post-trauma treatment demonstrates a reduction in symptoms and overall better outcomes for children and youth.…”