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Treating childhood traumatic grief: a pilot study.

Judith A Cohen¹, Anthony P Mannarino, Kraig Knudsen

¹Drexel University College of Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh 15212, USA. jcohen@wpahs.org

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

|September 24, 2004

Summary

This study shows that trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) effectively treats childhood traumatic grief (CTG) in children. Improvements were seen in PTSD, depression, and anxiety, with specific timing for CTG and PTSD symptom relief.

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Area of Science:

Pediatric Psychology
Child Psychiatry
Trauma Studies

Background:

Childhood traumatic grief (CTG) significantly impacts a child's ability to grieve after trauma.
Trauma symptoms can interfere with normal grieving processes in children.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the efficacy of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) for childhood traumatic grief (CTG).
To determine the specific timing of treatment response for individual child and parent TF-CBT in CTG.

Main Methods:

A manual-based 16-week treatment program was administered to 22 children and their primary caretakers.
The treatment involved sequential trauma- and grief-focused interventions.

Main Results:

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Children showed significant improvements in CTG, PTSD, depression, anxiety, and behavioral issues.

PTSD symptoms improved during trauma-focused components, while CTG improved during both trauma- and grief-focused components.

Parents also reported significant reductions in PTSD and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions:

Sequential trauma- and grief-focused interventions are supported by the timing of symptom improvements.
CTG is distinct from but related to PTSD, supporting individual treatment approaches.
Involving parents in CTG treatment is beneficial; further randomized controlled trials are recommended.