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The role of maladaptive appraisals in child acute stress reactions

Karen Salmon1, Emma Sinclair, Richard A Bryant

  • 1School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Australia. K.Salmon@unsw.edu.au

The British Journal of Clinical Psychology
|May 26, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Children’s negative appraisals after trauma predict acute stress reactions. Focusing on these cognitive appraisals is key for effective interventions in pediatric trauma recovery.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Child Psychiatry
  • Trauma Studies

Background:

  • Cognitive models of trauma suggest negative appraisals contribute to psychopathological stress reactions.
  • Understanding these appraisals is crucial for developing effective interventions for children experiencing trauma.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test the prediction that negative, catastrophic appraisals are central to psychopathological stress reactions in children following trauma.
  • To examine the role of children's cognitive appraisals in the development of acute stress reactions.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study assessed 66 children (aged 7-13) hospitalized after traumatic injury.
  • Assessments included acute stress disorder, depression, and the Child Post-traumatic Cognitions Inventory (cPTCI) within 4 weeks of trauma.
  • Parental acute stress was also evaluated.

Main Results:

  • Children's negative appraisals of ongoing vulnerability explained 44% of the variance in acute stress reactions.
  • Injury severity, depression, age, and parental acute stress did not significantly contribute to additional variance.

Conclusions:

  • Findings support cognitive models of trauma adaptation in children.
  • Assessing children's appraisals of traumatic experiences is vital for effective intervention development.
Abstract

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