Parents often fail to recognize post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) in young children, a new British study says.
“When people talk about PTSD they often think about soldiers returning from war zones. But children who experience traumatic events such as car accidents, assaults and natural disasters are also at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder,” said lead researcher Richard Meiser-Stedman, from Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia.
“Symptoms can include traumatic memories and nightmares, avoiding reminders of the trauma, and feeling like the world is very unsafe,” he explained in a university news release.
Researchers followed more than 100 children aged 2 to 10 who had been in a road collision involving a car crash, or being hit while walking, or getting knocked off their bicycle. All had been taken to the hospital with injuries such as bruising, fractures or loss of consciousness.
They were assessed for PTSD two to four weeks after the incident, and again at six months and then three years later.