Post-traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents Exposed to Family Violence: II. Treatment.

Interventions for youth exposed to family violence recently have incorporated a trauma focus with the objective of reducing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms along with alleviating other wide-ranging childhood disorders. This paper describes generally agreed-upon treatment components for youth exposed to violence in the home, including re-exposure interventions, education about violence and cognitive restructuring, processing of emotional cues, social problem-solving skills, and parenting interventions. Empirically evaluated treatment programs for different developmental stages (preschool, school-age, and adolescence) are summarized and remaining questions about how to best focus treatment efforts for youth traumatized by family violence are presented.