An investigation of trauma narrative characteristics and the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms in very young children

创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)的认知模型表明，个体记忆非创伤性事件的方式可能是导致创伤后应激症状(PTSS)发生和维持的关键因素。特别是，组织混乱、有更多感官和情感内容的创伤叙事与PTSS的增加有关。到目前为止，尽管人们越来越关注6岁及以下儿童的创伤后应激障碍的识别和治疗，但这一点还没有在很小的儿童中进行探索。本研究旨在利用儿童主导的游戏和绘画技术，开发一种适合儿童发展的叙事启发式练习，以评估幼儿(3-8岁)的记忆特征，并探讨创伤记忆叙事与创伤后应激障碍的发展和维持的关系。研究一将在一个幼儿社区样本中开发一种叙事启发式练习，并根据组织和感觉情绪特征来探索对积极、中性和消极事件的回忆的差异。研究二以创伤后1个月和6个月的创伤儿童为样本，采用叙事启发式测验，探讨创伤叙事特征与创伤后1个月和6个月创伤后应激障碍之间的关系，以及创伤叙事的某些特征是否可以预测幼儿创伤后应激障碍的发展。本项目旨在增加对当前创伤后应激障碍认知模型在幼儿中的适用性的理解。

Cognitive models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suggest that the way in which an individual remembers atraumatic event may be a key factor underlying the development and maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms(PTSS). In particular, trauma narratives that are disorganised and have more sensory and emotional content areassociated with increased PTSS. To date, this has not been explored in very young children despite increased focus onthe identification and treatment of PTSD in children aged 6 and under. This study aims to develop a developmentallyappropriate narrative elicitation exercise, using child-led play and drawing techniques, to assess memory characteristicsin young children (aged 3-8), and investigate the relationship between trauma memory narratives and the developmentand maintenance of PTSS. Study 1 will develop a narrative elicitation exercise in a community sample of young children,and explore differences in recall of positive, neutral and negative events according to organisation and sensoryemotional features. Study 2 will use the narrative elicitation exercise in a sample of trauma-exposed children to explorethe association between trauma narrative features and PTSS at 1 month and 6 months post-trauma, and whether certaincharacteristics of trauma narratives predict PTSD development in young children. This project aims to increaseunderstanding of the applicability of current cognitive models of PTSD in young children.