Signs of PTSD in Children

Just like adults, children can be affected by tragic events where they feel helpless or witnessed an unfortunate event. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is often associated with adults and soldiers. However, children can also suffer from PTSD. Witnessing violent neighborhood events, childhood abuse or natural disasters are common traumas that trigger PTSD in children.

A mental health professional is always the best person to give an official diagnosis, but the symptoms of PTSD are presented differently in children. If you know of a child who recently witnessed or experienced a traumatic event, consider the following situations to see you should bring him to an expert to rule out a PTSD diagnosis.

Avoiding the traumatic location. Adults with PTSD may naturally avoid places that remind them of the traumatic situation. Although it's not always possible, adults have more power to avoid them or deal with it emotionally. Adults might take back roads, for example, instead of the highway if that was the event location.

Children with PTSD have a more difficult time doing this and their emotional reactions can be more extreme. They will show increased alertness of their surrounding environments if they suspect the traumatic event's location is near.

PTSD nightmares. Children with PTSD are also more susceptible to nightmares. Children naturally have more vivid imaginations because they are exposed to more stories and creative activities at school, on television and at home. Just like adults, being put in similar situations can cause children to believe it's happening again. If this happens, the emotions and physical symptoms associated with the trauma could return.

PTSD children act out. Although children want to avoid the PTSD-related trauma, they have a harder time repressing the event all together. It's not uncommon to see children with PTSD re-enacting the events during play time or repeating behaviors that are associated with the trauma. However, they may not re-enact or discuss the details when asked. Some children with PTSD also regress with age-appropriate behavior. They might become more clingy or whiny. Somatic symptoms, such as frequent headache and stomach aches, could occur after the event.

Detachment and depression with children's PTSD. PTSD suffering children could become detached and depressed. They are trying to numb the pain and trauma from the event. Yet children with PTSD could be more susceptible to emotional outbursts, irritability and problems concentrating.

Chronic exposure promotes PTSD in children. Sometimes chronic exposure can mask the possibilities of PTSD in children. For example, a child who lives in a neighborhood that consistently has violent events is not necessarily "used to it." This can have negative implications on their social, emotional and cognitive development. While some statistics suggest that up to 15 percent of children who experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD, the rate can climb as high as 100 percent for those who experience chronic traumas.

SOURCES
McNally, R.J. (1991). Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 3(4): 531-537.

Nader, K.O. (2004). Assessing Traumatic Experiences in Children and Adolescents: Self-reports of DSM PTSD criteria B-D symptoms. In Wilson, J.P and Keane, T.M. (Eds.) Assessing Psychological Trauma and PTSD (pp.513-537). New York: Guilford Press.