The validity of the DSM-III posttraumatic stress disorder classification as applied to children.

Abstract

Tested three groups of children: The first group (n = 231) presented with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the second group (n = 32) presented with simple phobia (i.e., test phobia), and the third group (n = 35) was made up of nonclinical controls. The subjects marked the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and their conduct was rated against the Conners Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS) criteria. A MANOVA evinced significant group and gender differences. No significant interaction effects were noted. Univariate F tests and Bonferroni posttests revealed that the PTSD cases evinced markedly higher RCMAS, CDI, and CTRS scores than their phobic and nonphobic peers. Analogously, the RCMAS and CDI scores of the phobia cases were appreciably greater than the control groups. On the other hand, the CTRS scores of the test phobia and control groups were not significantly different.