Assessing and Treating Trauma in Detained Adolescents: A Pre–Post Within Subjects Evaluation

• Published in: Journal of child and family studies Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 934 - 941
• Main Author: Calleja, Nancy G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.04.2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent boys; Adolescents; Analysis; Anxiety; Assessment Centers (Personnel); Behavior Rating Scales; Behavior therapy; Behavioral health care; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Caregiver burden; Caregivers; Check Lists; Child Abuse; Child and School Psychology; Child Behavior; Child Welfare; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Cognitive Restructuring; Cognitive therapy; Depression (Psychology); Depression, Mental; Detention of persons; Dissociation; Ethnicity; Juvenile justice; Juvenile justice system; Juvenile offenders; Males; Mental depression; Mental Health; Music Facilities; Offending; Original Paper; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; Post traumatic stress disorder; Posttraumatic Stress Disorder; Psychological trauma; Psychology; Psychometrics; Sex Role; Sexual Abuse; Social Sciences; Sociology; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Teenagers; Trauma; Validity; Within-subjects design; Youth; Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy; Adolescents; Juvenile justice; Trauma; Assessment
• ISSN: 1062-1024; 1573-2843
• DOI: 10.1007/s10826-019-01564-9

Objectives This investigation evaluated trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (T-F CBT) with detained male adolescents with serious offending behaviors. Methods One hundred and seventeen youth with trauma symptoms participated in an average of twelve T-F CBT individual sessions. Trauma symptoms were assessed prior to and following treatment using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) and a paired sample t -test was used to analyze changes from pre- to posttest. Results Trauma symptoms in five of the six scales (i.e., anger, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, dissociation) were significantly reduced following treatment. Conclusions T-F CBT may be effective in reducing general trauma symptoms among detained adolescents; assessing and treating trauma symptoms are recommended as standard protocol in the juvenile justice system; and T-F CBT may be effective without caregiver participation.