1st Edition

Assessment of Trauma in Youths Understanding issues of age, complexity, and associated variables

Edited By Kathleen Nader Copyright 2014

    Assessment of Trauma in Youths: Understanding issues of age, complexity, and associated variables is a collection of articles by well-known specialists in the field of childhood trauma. The articles describe developmental issues in addition to others that are important to the assessment of trauma-exposed youth, to the ongoing refinement of trauma-related diagnoses for children, and to understanding PTSD and more complicated reactions to trauma for young people.

    The book explores trauma in very young to middle childhood aged children, trauma in adolescents, childhood complicated trauma, and childhood complicated grief. It considers PTSD and Reactive Attachment Disorder as well as discussing disorders that are under continued study such as Developmental Trauma Disorder, Prolonged Grief Disorder, and Traumatic Grief. In the second half of the book, chapters look at the associated features of childhood traumatic response such as genetics and personality, cortisol, poly-victimization, and guilt and shame. Variables such as cortisol reactivity and guilt/shame may influence or follow traumas in children.

    This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma.

    Preface Kathleen Nader

    Part I. Understanding and Assessing Trauma in Children and Adolescents: Issues of Age and Complex Reactions

    Introduction

    1. Trauma in Children and Adolescents: Issues Related to Age and Complex Reactions Kathleen Nader

    Developmental Issues

    2. PTSD in Children Younger Than the Age of 13: Towards Developmentally Sensitive Assessment and Management Michael Scheeringa

    3. Clinical Considerations in Assessing Trauma and PTSD in Adolescents Mandy Habib and Victor Labruna

    Complex Forms of Trauma-related Reactions

    4. Assessing Child and Adolescent Complex Traumatic Stress Reactions Julian Ford

    5. Complicated Grief Reactions in Children and Adolescents Kathleen Nader and Alison Salloum

    Part II. Understanding and Assessing Trauma in Children and Adolescents: Variables Associated with Childhood Traumatic Reactions

    Introduction

    6. The Assessment of Associated Features Important to Understanding Childhood Trauma Kathleen Nader

    Child Exposure and Developmental Variables

    7. Attachment and Trauma in Early Childhood: A Review Angela Breidenstine, Letia Bailey, Charles Zeanah, and Julie Larrieu

    8. Poly-victimization in Developmental Context David Finkelhor, Anne Shattuck, Heather Turner, Richard Ormrod, and Sherry Hamby

    9. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Post-trauma Adjustment in Children and Adolescents: The Role of Personality Constructs Josh Cisler, Ananda Amstadter, and Nicole Nugent

    Child Exposure and Response Variables

    10. Understanding and Assessing Cortisol Levels in Children and Adolescents Kathleen Nader and Carl Weems

    11. Understanding and Assessing Traumatic Responses of Guilt, Shame, and Anger among Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Ken Fletcher

    12. Conclusions: Notes on DSM V and the Study that is Still Needed Kathleen Nader

    Biography

    Dr. Kathleen Nader is a national and international consultant/trainer who has provided specialized interventions following shootings, bombings, disasters, and war or terrorism. She has written and co-authored publications, assessment scales, and videotapes regarding youth trauma, treatment, and school interventions. Previous publications include Honoring Differences: Cultural Issues in the Treatment of Trauma and Loss (1999), Understanding and Assessing Trauma in Children and Adolescents (2008), and School Rampage Shootings and Other Youth Problems (2012).