Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Children of Battered Women

The posttraumatic stress symptoms of 64 children ages 7 to 12 were assessed by their mothers, who had experienced emotional and physical abuse during the past year. A measure of child symptoms based on DSM-IV criteria was used. Of the children exposed to violence, 13% qualified for a complete posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis. However, 52% suffered from intrusive and unwanted remembering of the traumatic event(s), 19% displayed traumatic avoidance, and 42% experienced traumatic arousal symptoms. Children with PTSD symptoms had significantly more internalizing behavioral problems, as expected; they also had more externalizing problems than did children without trauma symptoms.