From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-331398-927207
ATHENS, Ga. (UPI) -- A University of Georgia study said children who
have lost a parent to diseases such as cancer can suffer
post-traumatic stress disorder.
Study co-author Rene Searles McClatchey said she found grief therapy
to children whose parent died doesn't help if the post-traumatic
stress disorder symptoms aren't dealt with first.
McClatchey is founder and director of Camp Magik -- a non-profit
organization that provides weekend camps for children that blend camp
activities such as hiking with therapy for PTSD and grief.
McClatchey and colleagues studied 100 children to test the
effectiveness of a camp-based PTSD intervention and found the odds of
continuing to experience severe PTSD were 4.5 times higher for
children who did not attend the camp compared to those who did.
The study, published in Research on Social Work Practice, found the
odds of experiencing severe grief were 3.6 times greater for children
who did not attend the camp than for those who did.
The study showed camp-based interventions work and found a link
between PTSD and grief. A previous study conducted in 2005 in which
children attended camp and underwent grief counseling without PTSD
treatment found the children did not improve or, in some cases, fared
worse.