141st APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

277818
Trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder among transition age youth with serious mental health conditions


Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 8:30 a.m. - 8:50 a.m.

Rochelle L. Frounfelker, MPH, MSSW, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Cambridge, MA
Vanessa Vorhies Klodnick, MSSW
Kim Mueser, PhD
Sara Todd, LSW
     
Objective: There is little information on trauma, PTSD and associated risk factors in transition age youth with mental health conditions. This study aimed at understanding the correlates and predictors of PTSD in transition age youth residing in supported community housing. Methods: Clinical assessment data on 84 transition age youth between the ages of 16 and 21 were analyzed. Chi-square analyses and t-tests were used to compare youth with a diagnosis of PTSD to those without a PTSD diagnosis. Stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to identify unique predictors of PTSD. Results: Of the 84 individuals, 79 (94%) reported a history of trauma, of whom 30 (36%) had PTSD. Sexual abuse, female gender, and involvement in the criminal justice system were significantly associated with a PTSD diagnosis. Sexual abuse was the only unique predictor of PTSD. Conclusions: Transition age youth residing in supported community housing demonstrated increased rates of trauma exposure and PTSD compared to the general adolescent population, suggesting the need for routine assessment and treatment of PTSD in this population.

Learning Areas:

Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Compare the prevalence of trauma exposure among transition age youth with serious mental health conditions to exposure among children and adolescents in the general population. Identify correlates and predictors of PTSD among transition age youth with serious mental health conditions. Discuss practice implications (assessment and treatment) of trauma and PTSD among transition age youth with serious mental health conditions.

Keyword(s): Mental Health, Youth

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the on-site principal investigator and project director for a federally funded grant focusing on transition age youth with serious mental health conditions. My scientific interests include understanding the epidemiology of trauma and PTSD among individuals with serious mental illness and the development of appropriate trauma interventions. I have clinical experience providing therapeutic services to trauma survivors and have several years experience evaluating evidence-based mental health practices and programs.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4054.0: Transition and Support: Addressing Trauma and Mental Health Needs of Youth