Evaluating Symptom Variations and Observing Longitudinal Individual Change Effects in TF-CBT

Inclusion Criteria16

• Participants will be included if:
• they are between 12 and 18 years of age;
• they have been exposed to at least one or more traumatic event(s) according to the DSM-5 A criteria after the age of 3 years and dating back at least 1 months (with regard to the ability of patients to remember the event(s) and to the high spontaneous remissions of PTSS in the first month after a traumatic event);
• they exhibit high severity of DSM-5 PTSS as indicated by a total symptom score of ≥25 assessed with the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen 2 (CATS-2);
• a nonoffending adult caregiver is available for the treatment and willing to participate in weekly treatment sessions (the inclusion of a caregiver is integral to the TF-CBT treatment model);
• they are willing and able to attend weekly treatment sessions;
• if their living circumstances are safe and stable to minimize the risk of re-traumatization during the project;
• they and their caregiver have sufficient command of the German language (i.e., to participate in assessment \[read\] and treatment\[converse\]);
• they and their caregivers possess a smartphone.
• they and their caregiver provided written informed consent.
• Participants will not be included if:
• they exhibit acute suicidal behavior or have suicidal ideations requiring immediate hospitalization;
• they have a documented developmental disorder (i.e., autism spectrum disorder) or current psychosis based on adolescent- and caregiver-report and clinical assessment;
• they exhibit severe substance misuse based on clinical assessment;
• take part in concurrent psychotherapy during TF-CBT;
• exhibit severe intellectual disability based on clinical assessment.