Listed below are the primary symptoms seen in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994).
Many abused children (but certainly not all) will exhibit such symptoms. This is especially the case if the abuse has been chronic. PAS children rarely exhibit these symptoms. Accordingly, reference to these symptoms, as well as the aforementioned primary manifestations of PAS, can be useful for differentiating between bona fide abuse-neglect and the PAS in children.
● Preoccupation with the trauma
● Episodic reliving and flashbacks
● Dissociation
● Depersonalization
● Derealization and psychic numbing
● Recreational desensitization and fantasy play
● Trauma-specific dreams
● Fear of people who resemble the alleged abuser
● Hypervigilance and/or frequent startle reactions
● Running away from home or the site of the abuse
● Pessimism about the future
Many abused children (but certainly not all) will exhibit such symptoms. This is especially the case if the abuse has been chronic. PAS children rarely exhibit these symptoms. Accordingly, reference to these symptoms, as well as the aforementioned primary manifestations of PAS, can be useful for differentiating between bona fide abuse-neglect and the PAS in children.
● Preoccupation with the trauma
● Episodic reliving and flashbacks
● Dissociation
● Depersonalization
● Derealization and psychic numbing
● Recreational desensitization and fantasy play
● Trauma-specific dreams
● Fear of people who resemble the alleged abuser
● Hypervigilance and/or frequent startle reactions
● Running away from home or the site of the abuse
● Pessimism about the future