Traumatic Stress as a Treatment Priority: Its Prevalence and Impact on Children’s Mental Health Services

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence of traumatic stress in children’s community mental health settings and assessed the impact of traumatic stress on therapy. Data were collected as part of a randomized effectiveness trial examining a modular treatment. Participants included 140 youth (5–15 years). Multilevel regression analyses examined predictors of treatment dropout, client crises, practice delivery, and therapist deviations from treatment plans. Findings indicate that, despite a high prevalence of trauma and the impact of traumatic stress on treatment dropout, trauma is not often perceived by clients as a treatment priority and trauma characteristics do not predict therapist practice delivery.

Keywords:

• Children’s mental health
• community mental health
• PTSD
• trauma
• treatment

Disclosure statement

Bruce F. Chorpita is an officer and a member of PracticeWise, LLC, which publishes the Modular Approach to Treatment of Children with Anxiety, Depression, Traumatic Stress, or Conduct Problems (MATCH-ADTC) protocol and provides training, consulting, and credentialing services related to the MATCH processes described in this manuscript. The funder did not have any role in shaping the design or conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, or interpretation of the data; or preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financially supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.