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Post-traumatic stress disorder has a chronic course and responds poorly to treatment, thus making prevention an important task. These investigators explored whether parent-child interactions predicted the severity of post-trauma symptoms.
Participants were 132 parent-child dyads assessed 1 and 6 months after a single trauma (e.g., house fire, accident); 88% of the children required urgent care (child age range, 6–13). Parents (90% mothers; 92% white; 35% with higher education) were interviewed about their appraisal and approach behaviors, and parent-child interactions were observed. Children completed self-report measures about their post-trauma stress symptoms. Exclusions included developmental disabilities, suicidality, and histories of ab…