Rise in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Children & Adolescents - Essay Sample

Introduction

Post-Traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) has been reported to be highly prevalent in both the children and adolescents who have previously subjected to traumatizing situations. Fundamentally, many children and adolescents are exposed to different types of trauma, such as abuse or various disasters. There has been a recent rise in the incidences and the number of young people who have Post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD). Studies have shown that children and adolescents exposed to trauma are susceptible to PTSD and other harmful cognitive, behavioral, and mental health incomes. While the estimates of the prevalence of PTSD among the children and the teens vary, recent studies have shown that between 30 and 40 percent of them are affected. Such variation is based on various factors, such as the type of trauma, the frequency, and the severity of the exposure to a given traumatic event.

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Trauma can lead to severe and long-term impairments and consequences. Research has further shown that PTSD is highly prevalent in clinical practice is a debilitating consequence of the trauma. Among the children and the adolescents exposed to the trauma, about 16 percent can develop PTSD. The predictors of PTSD encompass elements such as the stress reaction, depression, anxiety, parental effects, and smaller effects of the female gender and the injury severity. Recent studies have further reported increased hospitalization, heart rate after admission, and depression.

The use of psychological therapies has, therefore, been used to prevent the severity and prevalence of PTSD among the patients and victims of the traumatizing circumstances. Researchers have, however, attempted to assess the effectiveness of the psychological therapies in preventing the prevalence of PTSD among the children and youths. The efficacy of mental treatments has much been determined by numerous factors (Schneider, Grilli, & Schneider, 2013).

These include the type of exposure event, time of the exposure, frequency of the disclosure, and the age of the victim. As such, numerous studies have always recommended four interventions, all of which are the variations of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Fundamentally, various categories of cognitive therapy (CBT) integrate the different types and elements of the treatment used by cognitive-behavioral therapists. On the other hand, Cognitive Processing Therapy, cognitive therapy, and the Prolonged Exposure are all specialized treatments that focus on the particular aspects of the CBT interventions (Brymer, Louie, & Berkowitz, 2019).

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

The CBT is tremendously useful in providing both the adolescents and children with symptoms of PTSD with the new perspectives of their situations. This can enable them to regain control, reduce the intense physiological and emotional symptoms, and adopt the practical strategies that will assist them in addressing various stressful situations with more confidence and ease. The CBT has been further shown to help the patients discover new ways of thinking and behaving that can be critical in eliminating some stress factors in their lives (Hanson, Moreland & Orengo-Aguayo, 2018).

Ideally, children and adolescents who are subjected to this kind of therapy can cope better with the unavoidable situations that can increase their susceptibility to stress. Overall, the CBT has demonstrated that it promotes good treatment outcomes. The psychotherapy has been effective in treating, reducing, and preventing the occurrences of various modalities. These have been integral even in symptoms reduction through the exposure to reminders of the traumatic events. Notably, the majority of the children and adolescents who had been subjected to various psychological treatments have experienced a reduction of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and even suicide ideation.

Some studies have also documented the limitations of the CBT even though it provides excellent tools for understanding and coping better with the PTSD. The therapy is sometimes limited in its ability to achieve more than the anticipated roles. Notably, not all people with PTSD subjected to the treatment often respond (Hofmann, Asnaani, A., Vonk, Sawyer & Fang, 2012). The CBT cannot treat the older underlying roots, which may cause a significant limitation of an individual to manage stress effectively on an ongoing basis.

In the cases whereby the CBT may not be practical, psychotherapists have suggested the adoption of other alternatives that can help them address a range of issues linked to the original root of the problem. Reports have shown that this approach is valuable in promoting a more lasting and comprehensive change that may be achieved through behavioral therapy alone (Hofmann, Asnaani, A., Vonk, Sawyer & Fang, 2012).

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)

Another treatment, Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), has been reported to be considerably effective in addressing the problems faced by individuals who have PTSD and preventing it. The IP is a time-limited, evidence-based treatment that focuses on the social and interpersonal functioning, affect, and current life events of the patients. Fundamentally, the therapy is efficient in treating significant signs and symptoms associated with depression and other related conditions.

Research by Kolaitis (2017) reported that IPT offers an alternative to children and adolescents who are exposed to traumatic events that may cause PTSD in them. Further, a recent review suggested that highly traumatized patients who dissociate may demonstrate an excellent response upon receiving affect-focused therapy than the exposure-based treatment. The therapists, therefore, have a huge role to play in ensuring that the victims of the traumatizing events are helped to cope up with their situation.

During the process, for example, the therapist can enable the victim to adjust and cope with any distressing conditions that one feels while at the same time identifying any unnecessary meditations one has about the traumatic experience. The therapist, in this case, can facilitate the processes and activities that help the victims gain control of the fear and distress through changing the negative ways about their experiences (Kolaitis, 2017). For example, victims may subject themselves to the experience of blaming the circumstances that led to the traumatic experience or even the anxiety that it might happen again. As part of the psychotherapies, thus, the victims may be encouraged on how to slowly avoid any activities that may be voided since the experience.

Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy has further been reported to play an integral role in preventing PTSD among children and adolescents. This treatment was initially developed by Beck (1976), originally with the focus on the treatment for depression. Cognitive therapy is sufficient in addressing a wide range of symptoms, including those related to PTSD, such as anxiety, depression, and stress (Hanson, Moreland & Orengo-Aguayo, 2018). In cognitive therapy, the therapist tasked with the role of helping the patient identify and modify their excessively negative cognitions that contributes to the emotional disturbance and the impairment of the proper functioning of the brain. Thus, the application of this therapy enables the adolescents and children to identify and modify their misinterpretations that may lead to an overestimated threated (Kolaitis, 2017).

In PTSD, the threats often originate from the interpretation of the trauma and its aftermath. For instance, the people living with PTSD may be dominated by strong guilt or shame that is related to injury. These may include rape victims who may end up blaming themselves for rape. Through the discussion of the evidence for and against the interpretations, and through the evaluation of the predictions from the interpretation with the assistance of the therapist, it sufferers or victims can arrive at substantially adaptive conclusions (Hanson, Moreland & Orengo-Aguayo, 2018). As part of the treatment, the patients are encouraged to drop behaviors and cognitive strategies that prevent the disconfirmation of negative perceptions. These may include excessive precautions aimed at protecting the victims from further trauma or excessive rumination regarding how the events should be handled differently (Kolaitis, 2017).

While some psychotherapies have not demonstrated substantial efficacy when it comes to the treatment and prevention of PTSD, current research on PTSD and related modalities should focus on high-quality trials to evaluate such effectiveness for both the children and adolescents who have been exposed to trauma. Broadly, these trials should be designed to ensure that the participants do not know whether they are receiving psychological therapy (Kolaitis, 2017).

Further, more efforts should be made to ensure that the high rates of the follow-ups beyond the one month after therapy completion. Finally, the studies should focus on the comparison of the various types of psychological therapy, and this will be valuable in providing useful insights regarding the children and adolescents exposed to a variety of traumatic events that are likely to respond to these therapies

References

Brymer, M. J., Louie, K., & Berkowitz, S. J. (2019). Prevention of PTSD in Children and Adolescents. Psychiatric Annals, 49(7), 320-324.

Hanson, R. F., Moreland, A. D., & Orengo-Aguayo, R. E. (2018). Treatment of trauma in children and adolescents. In APA handbook of psychopathology: Child and adolescent psychopathology, Vol. 2 (pp. 511-534). American Psychological Association.

Hofmann, S. G., Asnaani, A., Vonk, I. J., Sawyer, A. T., & Fang, A. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive therapy and research, 36(5), 427-440.

Kolaitis, G. (2017). Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 8(sup4), 1351198.

Morina, N., Koerssen, R., & Pollet, T. V. (2016). Interventions for children and adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder: A meta-analysis of comparative outcome studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 47, 41-54.

Schneider, S. J., Grilli, S. F., & Schneider, J. R. (2013). Evidence-based treatments for traumatized children and adolescents. Current Psychiatry Reports, 15(1), 332.