The behavioral treatment of child and adolescent posttraumatic stress disorder

The inclusion of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III, 1980) has been associated with an exponential increase in the number of stress-related publications (Saigh, 1992a). Despite the increased literature base, it is of interest to note that the majority of these studies have involved traumatized adults (e.g., combat veterans or rape victims). Nevertheless, it is also of interest to note that child-clinical investigators have made conceptual and practical advances that are of considerable relevance to the study of child and adolescent PTSD. This review will primarily focus on interventions that have evinced efficacy over time with a wide range of traumatized patients. In so doing, historical, theoretical, and practical information relative to the use of flooding regiments is provided.