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SUMMARY:Intrusive Thoughts and Cognitive Functioning following Potentially
  Traumatic Events: From Hurricanes to Maltreatment\, Injury\, and Chronic 
 Illness - Manuel Sprung\, University of Innsbruck
DTSTART:20071023T120000Z
DTEND:20071023T130000Z
UID:TALK7687@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Julain Oldmeadow
DESCRIPTION:Sadly\, about one of every four children will experience a tra
 umatic event before the age of 16. A considerable proportion of these chil
 dren develop symptoms of child traumatic stress\, such as unwanted intrusi
 ve thoughts. This talk presents the first empirical study of the relations
 hips among intrusive thoughts in children\, children’s level of knowledg
 e about the mind\, and experiences with a natural disaster.  Unlike adults
 \, kindergartners and elementary school children typically have only limit
 ed knowledge about the mind and the minds operations (i.e.\, the constant 
 flow of thought and its uncontrollability).  By implication\, these basic 
 findings suggest the hypothesis that young children will have difficulty m
 onitoring and reporting intrusive thoughts following potentially traumatic
  events\, such as Hurricane Katrina. A large sample of 5- to 8-year-old ch
 ildren living in areas directly affected by Hurricane Katrina (Gulf Coast\
 , MS) were interviewed 7 months post-hurricane\, with measures of unwanted
  intrusive thoughts as well as measures of cognitive functioning\, and dat
 a from hurricane-affected children were compared with a control group\, li
 ving in an area not directly affected by Katrina (Malden\, MA).   Results 
 show no differences in the overall frequency and intensity of intrusive th
 oughts in Hurricane Katrina survivors compared to children from the contro
 l group. However\, an interesting difference was found between hurricane a
 ffected and control children in the qualitative nature of their intrusive 
 thoughts.  Whereas equal numbers of control children report “positive”
 - (e.g.\, while working on homework they start thinking about a new toy or
  a visit to Disneyworld) as do “negative” intrusive thoughts (e.g. whi
 le playing with a friend starting to think about a bad accident)\, the maj
 ority of hurricane affected children report “negative” intrusive thoug
 hts. By implication\, equilibrium of positive and negative cognitions (inc
 luding unwanted intrusive thoughts)\, is representative of healthy mental 
 life and might contribute to resiliency. The funneling of intrusive though
 ts (i.e. predominatly negative intrusive thoughts)\, however\, might be ma
 ladaptive and associated with an increased risk for suffering long-term em
 otional harm from the experience of a potentially traumatic event. An inte
 resting question is now to see if a similar funneling effect and associati
 on between children’s reports of own intrusive thoughts and their unders
 tanding of intrusive thoughts is found following other potentially traumat
 ic events\, such as maltreatment\, chronic illness or sever injury. In col
 laboration with the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry\, we are
  currently collecting data from samples of maltreated children\, and child
 ren hospitalized with injuries.  
LOCATION:SPS Seminar Room
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