Citation

Zehnder D, Landolt MA, Hornung R. Prax. Kinderpsychol. Kinderpsychiatr. 2006; 55(9): 675-692.

Vernacular Title

Notfallpsychologische Interventionen im Kindesalter.

Affiliation

Universitäts-Kinderklinik Zürich, Abteilung Psychosomatik und Psychiatrie, Steinwiesstrasse 75, CH-8032 Zürich. daniel.zehnder@kispi.unizh.ch

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Verlag Fur Medizinische Psychologie)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

17212187

Abstract

Early psychological interventions within the first hours, days or weeks after a traumatic event aim to avoid or minimize middle- or long-term mental-health problems. To date, there are no articles in German language available that review the field of early psychological interventions in children. This paper defines this field, summarizes current early psychological interventions and reviews the literature on effectiveness of early interventions. Most of the early psychological interventions in children after trauma that are reported in the literature are not evidence based. Moreover, current knowledge is limited by a number of methodological problems. First, most studies have no control groups and the samples are small. Second, different timeframes and interventions complicate a comparison of different studies. For future research, randomised controlled studies with manualised interventions and repeated follow-ups are demanded. In clinical practice, the lack of studies on effectiveness of early psychological interventions in children leads to a simple transfer of intervention strategies from adults. This practice needs to be questioned. Importantly, the consideration of developmental aspects is crucial. To date, no evidence-based advise can be given with regard to early psychological interventions in children. Moreover, it remains unclear, how to involve the parents.

Language: de