School-based intervention for prevention and treatment of elementary-students' terror-related distress in Israel: a quasi-randomized controlled trial.
A school-based intervention for preventing and reducing children's posttraumatic stress-related symptoms, somatic complaints, functional impairment, and anxiety due to exposure to terrorism was evaluated. In a quasi-randomized controlled trial, elementary school students were randomly assigned to an eight-session structured program, "Overshadowing the Threat of Terrorism" or to a waiting list control comparison group. Two months postintervention, the study group reported significant improvement on all measures. The authors conclude that a school-based universal intervention may significantly reduce posttraumatic stress disorder- (PTSD-) related symptoms in children repeatedly exposed to terrorist attacks and propose that it serve as a component of a public mental health approach dealing with children exposed to ongoing terrorism in a country ravaged by war and terrorism.
Berger
Rony
R
Israel Trauma Center for the Victims of Terror and War (NATAL), Tel Aviv, Israel.
Pat-Horenczyk
Ruth
R
Gelkopf
Marc
M
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D010552:Personality Assessment; D012572:School Health Services; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D023481:Terrorism / Q000523:psychology*