title: Brief report: the impact of maternal posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and child gender on risk for persistent posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in child trauma victims.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To longitudinally examine the impact of maternal posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) on child adjustment following a child's traumatic injury, focusing on child gender differences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-one child traumatic injury victims aged 8-18 years and their biological mothers were interviewed over two follow-ups (6 weeks and 7 months). Children were administered the Clinician-Administered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA), whereas mothers completed the CAPS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six weeks post trauma, maternal PTSS were significantly related to PTSS in boys but not in girls. However, at 7 months, maternal PTSS were strongly related to child PTSS in both boys and girls. Significant 6-week maternal distress-child gender interactions suggested that maternal PTSS, especially avoidance, predicted greater 7-month PTSS but that this was primarily because of a significant relationship in females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal distress was found to negatively impact subsequent child adjustment, particularly in females. These results underscore the importance of considering family-centered interventions for child PTSD, especially in girls.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, 118 Kent Hall, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ostrowski
authors.forename: Norman C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Christopher
authors.forename: Douglas L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Delahanty
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*