Fathers and Traumatized Youth: Key Variables of Gender, Emotion, and Recovery Needs

Abstract

Addressing the father's role in assisting traumatized youth, this exploratory review of 76 nonduplicated research studies identified three major categories of variables in determining the relationship between fathers' involvement in adolescent trauma recovery: (a) gender and emotion, (b) gender and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and (c) adolescents' recovery needs. These variables addressed the significant impact of men's emotional processing, the effects of PTSD on interpersonal relationships, and how trauma experiences influence the perception of needs as related to gender differences. Research focused on examining the impact of these variables on adolescent trauma recovery stressed the extent of fathers' role in treatment.

Keywords:

• traumatization
• parents and teens
• fathers' involvement
• adolescent mental health