Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Health Services Evaluation, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Depress Anxiety. 2013 May;30(5):425-31. doi: 10.1002/da.22121.
The prevalence and manifestation of posttraumatic stress symptoms in young children may differ from that observed in adults. This study examined sociodemographic, familial, and psychosomatic correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among preschool children and their mothers who had been exposed to ongoing missile attacks in the Gaza war.
One hundred and sixty-seven mothers of preschoolers (aged 4.0-6.5 years) were interviewed regarding PTSD and psychosomatic symptomatology of their children, as well as their own reactions to trauma.
Fourteen mothers (8.4%) and 35 children (21.0%) screened positive for PTSD. Sociodemographic characteristics were not associated with PTSD among mothers or children. Among children, the only significant risk factor was having a mother with PTSD (OR = 12.22, 95% CI 2.75-54.28). Compared to children who did not screen positive for PTSD, those who did screen positive displayed significantly higher rates of psychosomatic reactions to trauma, most notably constipation or diarrhea (OR = 4.36, 95% CI 1.64-11.60) and headaches (OR = 2.91, 95% CI 1.07-7.94).
Results of this study add to the burgeoning literature on child PTSD, emphasizing the important role of maternal anxiety and the psychosomatic reactions associated with exposure to ongoing traumatic experiences in young children.
幼儿创伤后应激症状的流行和表现可能与成年人观察到的不同。本研究调查了在加沙战争中持续遭受导弹袭击的学龄前儿童及其母亲中创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的社会人口学、家庭和身心相关因素。
对 167 名学龄前儿童（4.0-6.5 岁）的母亲进行了 PTSD 和儿童身心症状以及她们对创伤的反应访谈。
14 名母亲（8.4%）和 35 名儿童（21.0%）筛查出 PTSD。母亲或儿童的社会人口学特征与 PTSD 无关。在儿童中，唯一的显著危险因素是母亲患有 PTSD（OR=12.22，95%CI 2.75-54.28）。与未筛查出 PTSD 的儿童相比，筛查出 PTSD 的儿童对创伤的身心反应明显更高，尤其是便秘或腹泻（OR=4.36，95%CI 1.64-11.60）和头痛（OR=2.91，95%CI 1.07-7.94）。
本研究结果增加了关于儿童 PTSD 的文献，强调了母亲焦虑以及与持续创伤经历相关的身心反应在幼儿 PTSD 中的重要作用。
