Lithuanian children's trauma characteristics and correlates: comparison of clinical and non-clinical samples

Previous studies have shown that children's exposure to potentially traumatic events and their trauma-related symptoms may not always be consistently identified. This study aims to examine differences in trauma exposure and related psychological outcomes between clinical and non-clinical Lithuanian children.

This cross-sectional study included 10-17-year-old children and adolescents recruited from a clinical inpatient setting (Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos) and general-education schools in Vilnius and nearby districts. After parental consent and child assent, participants completed a secure mobile assessment covering exposure to potentially traumatic events (CATS), dissociation (A-DES), mood and feeling (SMFQ), post-traumatic cognitions (CPTCI), PTSD symptoms (CATS; PCL-5 for convergent validation), and perceived social support (CASSS). Data were collected in 2023-2024. Group differences were examined using Welch's t-tests (with Mann-Whitney U as robustness checks), and associations were assessed using Pearson correlations.

In the clinical sample over 40% of children experienced physical violence, while in the non-clinical sample 82.9% children reported exposure to multiple traumatic events. The clinical sample showed significantly higher dissociation, negative mood, and PTSD symptoms compared to the non-clinical sample. However, among children exposed to more than one traumatic event, differences in dissociation, PTSD symptoms, and close-friend support were not significant. Across both samples, exposure to potentially traumatic events was strongly associated with PTSD symptoms, dissociation, and post-traumatic cognitions, and moderately associated with mood symptoms. In the non-clinical sample, parental support showed moderate negative associations with dissociation, mood symptoms, post-traumatic cognitions, and PTSD symptoms.

This study identified between-sample differences in exposure to potentially traumatic events and trauma-related psychological outcomes among Lithuanian children in inpatient and community settings, highlighting the need for trauma-informed assessment and attention to social support within child mental health and welfare services.