Psychological Interventions for Pediatric Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Importance Pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and debilitating mental disorder, yet a comprehensive network meta-analysis examining psychological interventions is lacking. Objective To synthesize all available evidence on psychological interventions for pediatric PTSD in a comprehensive systematic review and network meta-analysis. Data Sources PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and PTSDpubs were searched from inception to January 2, 2024, and 74 related systematic reviews were screened. Study Selection Two independent raters screened publications for eligibility. Inclusion criteria were randomized clinical trial (RCT) with at least 10 patients per arm examining a psychological intervention for pediatric PTSD compared to a control group in children and adolescents (19 years and younger) with full or subthreshold PTSD. Data Extraction and Synthesis PRISMA guidelines were followed to synthesize and present evidence. Two independent raters extracted data and assessed risk of bias with Cochrane criteria. Random-effects network meta-analyses were run. Main Outcome and Measures Standardized mean differences (Hedges g ) in PTSD severity. Results In total, 70 RCTs (N = 5528 patients) were included. Most RCTs (n = 52 [74%]) examined trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapies (TF-CBTs). At treatment end point, TF-CBTs ( g , 1.06; 95% CI, 0.86-1.26; P < .001), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR; g , 0.86; 95% CI, 0.54-1.18; P < .001), multidisciplinary treatments (MDTs) ( g , 0.88; 95% CI, 0.53-1.23; P < .001), and non–trauma-focused interventions ( g , 0.95; 95% CI, 0.62-1.28; P < .001) were all associated with significantly larger reductions in pediatric PTSD than passive control conditions. TF-CBTs were associated with the largest short-term reductions in pediatric PTSD relative to both passive and active control conditions and across all sensitivity analyses. In a sensitivity analysis including only trials with parent involvement, TF-CBTs were associated with significantly larger reductions in pediatric PTSD than non–trauma-focused interventions ( g , 0.35; 95% CI, 0.04-0.66; P = .03). Results for midterm (up to 5 months posttreatment) and long-term data (6-24 months posttreatment) were similar. Conclusions and Relevance Results from this systematic review and network meta-analysis indicate that TF-CBTs were associated with significant reductions in pediatric PTSD in the short, mid, and long term. More long-term data are needed for EMDR, MDTs, and non–trauma-focused interventions. Results of TF-CBTs are encouraging, and disseminating these results may help reduce common treatment barriers by counteracting common misconceptions, such as the notion that TF-CBTs are harmful rather than helpful.