The effect of parental emotional abuse on the severity and treatment of PTSD symptoms in children and adolescents

Maltreatment by a primary caregiver is an important risk factor for the development of PTSD symptoms. Whereas meta-analyses indicate that parental emotional abuse one most common forms maltreatment, impact on symptoms and treatment effectiveness still unclear, especially in children. We aimed to investigate symptom severity trauma children adolescents. In outpatient sample (N = 287, mean age 15.5 years), abuse, index traumatic event, were assessed at baseline. Thereafter, patients received evidence-based trauma-related embedded broader (systemic) package. subsample (n 130, 15.3 years) again 6 12 months after Emotional (rather than any other type maltreatment) was associated with more severe all clusters. This independent whether reported as event or not. Moreover, significantly reduced start trauma-focused treatment, over course treatment. These findings underline detrimental nature maltreatment context symptomatology effectiveness. calls routine assessment diagnostic phase, even when this not reason referral.