CHICAGO — A new report sponsored by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that there is a lack of scientific evidence on the best ways to help young people who undergo traumatic events to heal.
The study show that roughly two-thirds of U.S. children and teens younger than 18 will experience at least one distressing event, including shootings, car crashes and weather disasters. About 13% of those individuals will develop post-traumatic stress symptoms, including anxiety, behavior difficulties and other event-related problems, the Associated Press reports.
While the report could not conclude the best ways to help youths cope with disturbing incidents, it noted that school-based counseling treatments showed potential. Additionally, researchers found no hard evidence that proves that anxiety drugs or other medications work.
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