Disparities in adversity among children with autism spectrum disorder: a population-based study.

AIM: People with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) experience disparities in health. An important but overlooked risk factor for health disparities in the ASD population is adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The purpose of this study was to identify the prevalence of ACEs among families of children with and without ASD, using a population-based sample. METHOD: Data from the 2011 to 2012 National Survey of Child Health were analyzed to estimate prevalence of ACEs among families of children with and without ASD, age 3 to 17 years (ASD=1611; estimated population=1 165 34). The child's ASD status was obtained from parent report; ACEs were assessed with the modified Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale. Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression analyses were utilized to investigate the relationship between ACEs and childhood ASD status. RESULTS: ASD status among children was significantly and independently associated with higher probability of reporting one to three ACEs (adjusted relative risk ratio [aRRR] 1.53; 95% CI: 1.16-2.0; p<0.010) and four or more ACEs (aRRR 1.99; 95% CI: 1.35-2.91; p<0.010). INTERPRETATION: Children with ASD may experience a greater number of family and neighborhood adversities, potentially compromising their chances for optimal physical and behavioral health outcomes. Assessment and reduction of ACEs among families of young people with ASD could potentially contribute to the reduction of population health disparities.

Complex trauma exposure and symptoms in urban traumatized children: a preliminary test of proposed criteria for developmental trauma disorder.

Recently, a new diagnostic construct, developmental trauma disorder (DTD), was proposed to describe the effects of chronic exposure to violence in combination with disruptions in caregiving systems. This study uses archival data to field test the consensus proposed diagnostic criteria for DTD in a sample of urban children (N = 214). Children with complex trauma histories as defined in the proposed DTD Criterion A were much more likely to meet the proposed DTD symptom criteria than children who did not meet the exposure criterion. This field trial of the proposed DTD criteria suggests that the proposed construct of DTD is useful for describing the symptoms induced by ongoing traumatic stressors and disrupted caregiving and that the proposed symptom criteria can differentiate children with histories of exposure to developmental trauma from other trauma-exposed children.

"We're playing on the same team": Communication (dis)connections between trauma patients and surgical residents.

BACKGROUND: Patient-physician communication is key to better clinical outcomes and patient well-being. Communication between trauma patients and their physicians remains relatively unexplored. We aimed to identify and characterize the range of strengths and challenges in patient-physician communication in the setting of trauma care. METHODS: A qualitative, grounded theory approach was used to explore communication strengths and challenges for patients and residents. Patients previously admitted to the trauma service for violent injuries were recruited and interviewed in-person during their trauma clinic appointments. Surgical residents were recruited via email and interviewed virtually via Zoom. Anonymous, semistructured interviews were conducted until thematic saturation was reached. RESULTS: Twenty-nine interviews with patients and 14 interviews with residents were conducted. Patients reported feeling ignored and misunderstood and having inadequate communication with physicians. Residents cited lack of time, patients' lack of health literacy, differences in background, and emotional responses to trauma as barriers to effective communication with patients. Patients and residents reported an understanding of each other's stressors, similar emotional experiences regarding traumatic stress, and a desire to communicate with each other in greater depth both inside and outside of the hospital. CONCLUSION: Trauma patients and residents can feel disconnected due to the lack of time for thorough communication and differences in background; however, they understand each other's stressors and share similar emotional responses regarding trauma and a desire for increased communication, connection, and solidarity. Leveraging these shared values to guide interventions, such as a resident curriculum, may help bridge disconnects and improve their communication. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level IV.

Beyond PTSD: Client presentations of developmental trauma disorder from a national survey of clinicians.

OBJECTIVE: The emergence of updated Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed. [DSM-5]; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which includes modified criteria for young children, raises questions regarding the need for developmentally appropriate standalone psychiatric diagnosis encompassing complex trauma presentations in children. The present study addresses these questions by examining how DSM-5 PTSD and proposed developmental trauma disorder (DTD) diagnoses relate to functional impairment and trauma exposure using clinician-report surveys. METHOD: We surveyed psychotherapists across the United States, and asked them to report on the symptom characteristics, functional impairment, and trauma exposure of children, adolescents, and young adults under their care (n = 210; age range = 2-21). We fit symptom data to the draft criteria for (1) DTD, a proposed trauma diagnosis for children and (2) existing criteria for adult and child/preschool PTSD. RESULTS: Results indicated that comorbidity between DTD and PTSD was high (52.4% and 59.9% for adult and child/preschool criteria, respectively). Comorbid DTD/PTSD and DTD-alone groups had more functional domains impacted and greater exposure to some types of trauma relative to the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings speak to the relationship between trauma complexity and wide-ranging symptom presentations, provide support for research and clinical emphasis on a developmentally informed diagnosis, and may support existing treatment approaches. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Treatment of complex PTSD: results of the ISTSS expert clinician survey on best practices.

This study provides a summary of the results of an expert opinion survey initiated by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Complex Trauma Task Force regarding best practices for the treatment of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Ratings from a mail-in survey from 25 complex PTSD experts and 25 classic PTSD experts regarding the most appropriate treatment approaches and interventions for complex PTSD were examined for areas of consensus and disagreement. Experts agreed on several aspects of treatment, with 84% endorsing a phase-based or sequenced therapy as the most appropriate treatment approach with interventions tailored to specific symptom sets. First-line interventions matched to specific symptoms included emotion regulation strategies, narration of trauma memory, cognitive restructuring, anxiety and stress management, and interpersonal skills. Meditation and mindfulness interventions were frequently identified as an effective second-line approach for emotional, attentional, and behavioral (e.g., aggression) disturbances. Agreement was not obtained on either the expected course of improvement or on duration of treatment. The survey results provide a strong rationale for conducting research focusing on the relative merits of traditional trauma-focused therapies and sequenced multicomponent approaches applied to different patient populations with a range of symptom profiles. Sustained symptom monitoring during the course of treatment and during extended follow-up would advance knowledge about both the speed and durability of treatment effects.

Addressing the impact of trauma before diagnosing mental illness in child welfare.

Congress set requirements for child welfare agencies to respond to emotional trauma associated with child maltreatment and removal. In meeting these requirements, agencies should develop policies that address child trauma. To assist in policy development, this study analyzes more than 14,000 clinical assessments from child welfare in Illinois. Based on the analysis, the study recommends child welfare agencies adopt policies requiring that (1) mental health screenings and assessments of all youth in child welfare include measures of traumatic events and trauma-related symptoms; (2) evidence-based, trauma-focused treatment begin when a youth in child welfare demonstrates a trauma-related symptom; and (3) a clinician not diagnose a youth in child welfare with a mental illness without first addressing the impact of trauma. The study also raises the issue of treatment reimbursement based on diagnosis.

Training Hospital Personnel in Trauma-Informed Care: Assessing an Interprofessional Workshop With Patients as Teachers.

OBJECTIVE: Trauma-informed care (TIC) and violence intervention programs (VIPs) facilitate psychosocial healing and reduce injury recidivism for children and families affected by community violence. To integrate a VIP into 2 Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Centers, an educational initiative was developed and co-taught by pediatricians and former patients. The primary aim was to increase provider-driven patient referrals to the VIP. A secondary aim was to improve all participants' comfort levels in 5 areas of TIC. METHODS: Referrals to the VIP from 2014 to 2018 were tracked and analyzed. A curriculum based on Five Points of TIC was developed and offered to interprofessional groups of hospital employees. Pediatricians and former patients recovering from violent injury facilitated the workshops. Twenty-two workshops were attended by 318 providers and hospital staff members from 2015 to 2018. Pre- and postworkshop surveys asked participants to rate their comfort levels with 5 areas of TIC. RESULTS: Provider-driven patient identification increased from 34.8% to 86.8% over the study period. For the entire cohort, participants' self-assessment of comfort levels with TIC improved by 21% (P < .001), with medical students' scores improving the most (24%). Residents were less likely to complete the workshop than fellows or attendings (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: This novel curriculum was associated with a change in practice patterns, as well as a closer relationship between the VIP and pediatric hospital systems. All professional groups experienced an improvement in comfort levels with the Five Points of TIC. Future study on information retention and other patient care-related outcomes is needed.

A developmental approach to complex PTSD: childhood and adult cumulative trauma as predictors of symptom complexity.

Exposure to multiple traumas, particularly in childhood, has been proposed to result in a complex of symptoms that includes posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as a constrained, but variable group of symptoms that highlight self-regulatory disturbances. The relationship between accumulated exposure to different types of traumatic events and total number of different types of symptoms (symptom complexity) was assessed in an adult clinical sample (N = 582) and a child clinical sample (N = 152). Childhood cumulative trauma but not adulthood trauma predicted increasing symptom complexity in adults. Cumulative trauma predicted increasing symptom complexity in the child sample. Results suggest that Complex PTSD symptoms occur in both adult and child samples in a principled, rule-governed way and that childhood experiences significantly influenced adult symptoms.

Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and Trauma-Informed Care for Children Exposed to Community Violence.

Racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes and access have been consistently documented for a wide variety of physical and behavioral health conditions. Health inequities are most pronounced in areas with high levels of racial and ethnic segregation, where children and adolescents are also more likely to face economic inequality, which places them at high risk for exposure to neighborhood violence and traumatic loss. Community violence exposure (CVE) has been increasingly recognized as a prominent contributor to negative physical and mental health outcomes. CVE has been linked to children's risk for negative psychological outcomes, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, externalizing behavior, and internalizing symptoms, as well as obesity, asthma, and health-risk behaviors. Providers of pediatric care have opportunities to address CVE and related health disparities by developing trauma-informed systems that routinely screen for CVE, provide basic support for affected families, and link those in need to trauma-focused intervention. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(10):e377-e381.].

Understanding interpersonal trauma in children: why we need a developmentally appropriate trauma diagnosis.

Childhood exposure to victimization is prevalent and has been shown to contribute to significant immediate and long-term psychological distress and functional impairment. Children exposed to interpersonal victimization often meet criteria for psychiatric disorders other than posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, this article summarizes research that suggests directions for broadening current diagnostic conceptualizations for victimized children, focusing on findings regarding victimization, the prevalence of a variety of psychiatric symptoms related to affect and behavior dysregulation, disturbances of consciousness and cognition, alterations in attribution and schema, and interpersonal impairment. A wide range of symptoms is common in victimized children. As a result, in the current psychiatric nosology, multiple comorbid diagnoses are necessary-but not necessarily accurate-to describe many victimized children, potentially leading to both undertreatment and overtreatment. Related findings regarding biological correlates of childhood victimization and the treatment outcome literature are also reviewed. Recommendations for future research aimed at enhancing diagnosis and treatment of victimized children are provided.