Children, adolescents and trauma.

This paper presents an overview of the psychological effects of trauma on children and adolescents with specific attention to the epidemiology of traumatic experiences, risk factors, developmental effects, the types of traumatic experiences albeit a single event trauma or a chronic process trauma, the spectrum of clinical presentations, psychiatric and psychological comorbidities as well as assessment and therapeutic principles. In addition to the child's psychological response to the traumatic stressor communities are often devastated by natural or man made disasters. The interactions between the child's response with the family and community response as well as community interventions are discussed.