Zeitschrift für traumatische Belastungsstörungen und Behandlung

Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress among Danish Adolescents

Ask Elklit and Lene Bjerre Frandsen

Trauma Exposure and Posttraumatic Stress among Danish Adolescents

In the last two decades there has been an increase in epidemiological studies on trauma, although the child and adolescents group is not well represented. So far, few studies have examined exposure to trauma and prevalence of PTSD among adolescents, yet mostly among younger adolescents. In spite of research indicating that older adolescents are at greater risk of exposure and PTSD than younger adolescents we lack more information on older adolescents. Knowledge of trauma types, risk of PTSD and influence of demographic variables on PTSD may reveal some important information on the etiology of PTSD. Also, when designing intervention and treatment programs, it is crucial to understand the complex interaction of variables leading to the disorder in older adolescents.