European Journal of Psychotraumatology

Children exposed to trauma are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This risk is particularly high amongst populations affected by intentionally inflicted traumas, but PTSD can also develop following relatively common experiences such as serious accidents. Not only is PTSD disabling in itself, it is also strongly associated with other mental health problems, high risk behaviours, self-harm and suicidal self-injury, and wider functional impairment in young people.

Given the strong potential for disruption to social, educational, and vocational outcomes presented by PTSD amongst children, understanding the factors that contribute to the development of PTSD or to resilient mental health outcomes following trauma is critical. There is also a strong need for this knowledge to inform appropriately targeted, effective, and cost-effective screening and intervention efforts in the aftermath of trauma, as well as for young people with established PTSD. In addition, low-and-middle-income country (LMIC) populations are underrepresented in the evidence base, despite carrying a higher burden of risk factors for trauma (e.g., poverty, housing insecurity), and having more limited intervention access. Consequently, we have limited understanding of PTSD as it occurs in the types of contexts in which the majority of the world’s population of children lives.

We welcome all article types accepted by the journal addressing our understanding of PTSD among trauma-exposed children, in particular:

Identifying risk factors for the development of PTSD in trauma-exposed children, such as:

• Individual level factors related to risk or resilience
• Social or family level factors
• Biological factors, are particularly understudied

Providing deeper insight into established risk factors, for example:

• By probing known yet poorly understood contributors to risk e.g., sex, socioeconomic status, age
• By considering the role of developmental stage or developmental factors

Examining factors in the aetiology, identification, or treatment of PTSD among LMIC children, including:

• Studies that focus on or include LMIC populations
• Research that examines factors of particular relevance to LMICs

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