[Trauma First - an Outpatient, Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention for Children and Adolescents With Trauma-Related...

Trauma First - an Outpatient, Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention for Children and Adolescents With Trauma-Related Disorders: a Pilot Study Abstract. Objective. Although traumatic experiences are one of the most important causes for psychiatric disorders in childhood and adulthood, trauma-specific intervention approaches are rarely applied in German outpatient clinics. The aim of the present pilot study was to evaluate a manualized, outpatient, cognitive-behavioural intervention programme ("Trauma First") for children and youths with trauma and stress-related disorders. We hypothesized that there would be specific improvements in PTSD symptoms as well as in depression, anxiety, and behavioural problems following the structured intervention programme. Method: The pilot study consisted of a pre-post-test design without a control group. Symptom severity of 33 children and youths (age: 10-15 years; 54.5 % female) with traumatic experiences was assessed by self-ratings and parent-ratings before and after the treatment. Results: After the treatment, improvements were found in children's PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and behavioural problems (Cohen's d: 0.51-1.49). A trend was found showing improvement of children's life satisfaction. Effect sizes were comparable with results from meta-analyses. Conclusions: The pilot study provided first evidence for the effectiveness of "Trauma First" under ecologically valid conditions. This study is a first step in the evaluation process of psychotherapeutic effectiveness, which should be continued by conducting a randomized-controlled study design.