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Identifying, treating, and referring traumatized children: the role of pediatric providers
Judith A Cohen1, Kelly J Kelleher, Anthony P Mannarino
1Department of Psychiatry, Allegheny General Hospital, Drexel University College of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212, USA. jcohen1@wpahs.org
Insights
Pediatric providers can screen children for trauma symptoms and offer brief interventions. They play a key role in referring children for specialized mental health care, improving outcomes for trauma-exposed youth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric healthcare
- Trauma-informed care
- Child mental health
Background:
- Children exposed to trauma often experience severe, long-term physical and psychological issues.
- Pediatric providers are well-positioned to identify these children and initiate care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline practical methods for pediatric providers to screen for traumatic events and symptoms.
- To detail brief, office-based interventions for traumatized children.
- To guide family engagement in mental health referrals and identify evidence-based practices.
Main Methods:
- Evaluation and summarization of comprehensive literature reviews on evidence-based treatments for traumatized children.
- Focus on relevance for primary care pediatricians.
Main Results:
- Description of optimal screening and office-based interventions for pediatric trauma.
- Summary of evidence-based practices and their core treatment elements.
- Inclusion of strategies for family engagement in mental health referrals.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric providers can effectively identify and provide initial interventions for traumatized children.
- They are crucial in facilitating referrals for optimal mental health treatment, significantly impacting child well-being.
Objectives:
To describe practical ways for pediatric providers to screen children for exposure to potentially traumatic events and trauma symptoms, provide brief office-based pediatric interventions for trauma-exposed children, engage families in mental health care referrals, and recognize elements of evidence-based practices for traumatized children.
Main Exposure:
Many children exposed to potentially traumatic events develop severe and long-lasting negative somatic and psychological problems. Pediatric providers are often ideally situated to detect children with these symptoms, provide office-based interventions, and make referrals to optimal community treatment providers.
Main Outcome Measures:
Several comprehensive literature reviews of evidence-based treatments for traumatized children conducted by other organizations were evaluated and summarized for their relevance to primary care pediatricians.
Results:
Optimal pediatric screening and office-based interventions for traumatized children are described. Evidence-based practices for traumatized children are summarized and their common treatment elements extracted. Suggestions for engaging families in mental health care referrals are included.
Conclusions:
Pediatric providers can identify and provide office-based interventions for traumatized children as well as play a critical role in referring children for optimal mental health treatments.
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