Community-Based Interventions for Childhood Trauma: A Scoping Review.

This research review looks at studies on community-based interventions intended to help children suffering from trauma. The researchers argue that occupational therapists could play a greater role in helping these children.

Understanding the Research

• The purpose of this review was to pull together research done on community-based interventions carried out for children who have experienced trauma, with a particular focus on the possible role that occupational therapists can take in trauma-informed care.
• This review only included interventional trials that utilised community-based approaches in tackling childhood trauma. Studies that focused on refugees, sex-trafficking victims, those with significant comorbid diagnoses, and already existing reviews were excluded.

Methodology and Findings

• The researchers conducted a search of the bibliographic databases PubMed and PTSDPubs. This process identified eleven articles that met the criteria for inclusion in the review.
• Various types of interventions were highlighted by the reviewed studies, these included: psychotherapy sessions, particularly ones that utilized trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); play therapy and art therapy; yoga; and equine-aided interventions.
• All these interventions were found to be effective in reducing posttraumatic stress symptoms in children. Just one of the articles discussed the impact of these symptoms on a child’s ability to function.

Implications and Recommendations

• The authors of this review have identified a gap in healthcare services for traumatized children: the potential of occupational therapists in the community-based treatment of these children is not being fully realised.
• The researchers imply that mental health providers and occupational therapists could potentially form successful partnerships in working towards improving functional outcomes for children that have experienced trauma.
• They suggest that future research should be conducted to investigate this possibility and the potential benefits that such collaborations could offer.