Looking beyond posttraumatic stress disorder in children: Posttraumatic stress reactions, posttraumatic growth, and quality of life in a general population sample

Abstract

Objective: In order to broaden the view beyond posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children, we examined to what extent posttraumatic stress reactions, posttraumatic growth, and quality of life were related to each other and to traumatic exposure in the general population. Method: 1770 children of 36 randomly selected primary schools (mean age = 10.24 years, 50% boys) reported in October/November 2006 on their worst experience (traumatic exposure was considered present when the described event fulfilled the A1 criterion for PTSD of the DSMIV-TR) and filled out the Children's Responses to Trauma Inventory, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory for Children, and the KIDSCREEN-27. Correlationa..