| Abstract [eng] |
Childhood is a particularly sensitive period of rapid change in emotional, physical, neurological, social, behavioural, and cognitive areas. Traumatic experiences in childhood are associated with disturbances in the child’s developmental process and the development of early psychopathology, specifically stress-related. However, there are not many studies analyzing traumatic experiences and post-traumatic stress responses in young children, as these experiences have long been limited to samples from older adolescents and adults. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of traumatic experiences and post-traumatic stress reactions in young children and to evaluate their association with demographic factors. Odense Child Trauma Screening (OCTS) was used to interview children during the study; parents / guardians were provided with a set of questionnaires consisting of a demographic questionnaire, Child and Adolescent Trauma Screening (CATS) for the assessment of traumatic experiences, and the International Trauma Questionnaire – Child and Adolescent Version / Parents edition (ITQ-CA/P) symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Two groups of study participants participated in the study: 1) the control group consisting of 17 children from pre-school and primary education institutions, this group includes 11 girls and 6 boys, children aged 3 to 8 years (M = 6,41, SD = 1,73); 2) the clinical group consisting of 15 children from institutions that provide psychological assistance to children who may have been victims of violence, this group includes 10 girls and 5 boys, children aged 3 to 8 years (M = 6,13, SD = 1,51). The results showed that a large proportion of children aged 3–8 years have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime (68.8%). There is a higher risk of experiencing traumatic experiences to children who belong to a clinical group, live in a single-parent family and have at least one close adult who have had substance abuse. The risk of post-traumatic stress disorder was identified in 12.5% of study participants. Children who belong to a clinical group and live in single-parent family are at higher risk of entering the post-traumatic stress disorder risk group. |
