Summary

The children who showed signs of PTSD were also found to have an increased risk for asthma, gastrointestinal problems and headaches. Thus, the stress of violence seems to take a severe toll on young children.

Original source:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=8239020

Details

• The stress some young children suffer after being exposed to violence in their neighborhoods or homes may have repercussions for their physical health, according to a new study.
• Researchers found that among 160 preschoolers from low-income families, 78 percent had been exposed to some form of violence -- either in their communities or in their own homes, sometimes in the form of child maltreatment.
• Those children who consequently suffered symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder -- such as nightmares or bedwetting -- were at greater risk than their peers of having a number of health conditions, including asthma, gastrointestinal problems and headaches.
• In the past, studies have found that young children exposed to violence between their parents have heightened rates of anxiety, fear and aggression.
• Other research has linked such childhood experiences to poorer health in adulthood.
• But little research has looked into how post-traumatic stress -- a potential reaction to violence -- affects children's health in general, according to Dr. Sandra A. Graham-Bermann, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and one of the co-authors of the new report.
• The study, published in the Journal of Pediatrics, included 160 Michigan children who were taking part in Head Start, a federal preschool program for low-income families.
• Mothers and teachers reported on the children's health, behavior and symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
• Mothers were also surveyed about their children's exposure to violence in the community -- ranging from shootings and stabbings to accidents and arrests -- and within the family.
• Health problems, including allergies, asthma, colds and flu, were more common among children with PTSD, the study found.
• In particular, these children had a four-times higher risk of asthma and gastrointestinal problems than their peers did.

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