The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis in Preschool- and Elementary School-Age Children Exposed to Motor Vehicle Accidents

• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2008.07081282
• Publication Date: 2008-08-02T00:45:54Z
• Authors: Richard Meiser-St...; Patrick Smith; Edward Glucksman; William Yule; Tim Dalgleish
• Keywords: Male; Observer Variation; 4. Education; 150; Accidents, Traffic; Age Factors; Personality Assessment; 3. Good health; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; 03 medical and health sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Early Diagnosis; 0302 clinical medicine; Child, Preschool; London; Humans; Female; Child; Algorithms; Follow-Up Studies

Increasingly, children are being diagnosed with psychiatric disorders, including preschool-age children. These diagnoses in young raise questions pertaining to 1) how diagnostic algorithms for individual disorders should be modified age groups, 2) psychopathology is best detected at an early stage, and 3) make use of multiple informants. The authors examined these issues a prospective longitudinal assessment preschool- elementary school-age who were exposed traumatic event.Participants 114 (age range: 2-10 years) had experienced motor vehicle accident. Parents older 7-10 completed structured interviews 2-4 weeks (initial assessment) 6 months (6-month follow-up) after the event. A recently proposed alternative symptom algorithm diagnosing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was utilized compared standard DSM-IV PTSD acute disorder.At 2- 4-week assessment, 11.5% met conditions diagnosis based on criteria per parent report, 13.9% this 6-month follow-up. percentages much higher than those PTSD. Among 7- 10-year-old subjects, combined parent- child-reported symptoms derive resulted increased number group identified illness relative report alone. Agreement between child poor. 6-year-old more sensitive predictor later onset or report. However, among (from both child) optimal predicting psychopathology.These findings support assessing suggest that stable from phase onward. When children, have broad comparable validity. absence symptoms, appears measure group, disorder.