[The psychology of childhood trauma].

A significant number of child victims of accidents develops psychological symptoms which can be described as post-traumatic stress reactions. This article reviews the literature on psychological consequences of accidents. Classification, diagnosis, prevalence, pathogenesis, biology, prevention, and therapy of post-traumatic stress reactions in children and adolescents are discussed. Consideration of psychotraumatological aspects in the treatment of children and adolescents after accidents in recommended.