Two-Year Follow-up Study on Children Exposed to Trauma (Complex PTSD)

In our clinic, we plan to conduct research two years after the initial assessments (January-April 2024 and one year ago, January-June 2025) of children and adolescents with trauma exposure who were evaluated as part of their thesis studies. The aim is to re-evaluate these individuals to determine how many continue to receive a PTSD diagnosis, how many receive a diagnosis of K-PTSD, and what factors are associated with these changes. This research aims to contribute to the literature on the long-term effects of trauma exposure.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD); Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Detailed Description

This study will be conducted under the coordination of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Children and adolescents between the ages of 7-18 who have been exposed to trauma and who applied to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine and who were evaluated within the scope of the thesis study two year ago (January-April 2024) and one year ago (January-June 2025), will be re-evaluated two year later. It is aimed to reach all 136 children and adolescents and evaluate those who agree to participate in the study.

Sample:

Children-adolescents who were exposed to at least one traumatic event and who were evaluated within the scope of the thesis study two year ago (January-April 2024) and re-evaluated by a doctor a year ago; Children and adolescents aged 7-18, Children and/or parents with adequate literacy and Turkish language skills, Those without psychotic/manic symptoms or a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability in the child or parent during the interview, Volunteers who agree to participate in the study. Researchers will explain the study to volunteer children and their families and present the Informed Consent Form to determine their willingness to participate.

Parents of eligible volunteers will complete the following assessments:

• Sociodemographic Data Form
• Brief Psychological Resilience Scale
• Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
• Mood Disorders and Schizophrenia Interview Schedule for School-Aged Children (MAS-S)
• International Trauma Scale - Child and Adolescent Version
• Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale - Revised
• UCLA Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index for DSM-5
• Children's General Assessment Scale
• ICD-11-based clinical interview

The start date for the study is March 2026, and data analysis will commence afterward. Data will be analyzed using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS for Windows, version 21.0). The study is expected to be completed by October 2026

The coordinating center responsible for the research is the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Istanbul Faculty of Medicine.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 136

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Fatih
    • Istanbul, Fatih, Turkey (Türkiye), 34116
      • İstanbul Esnaf Hastanesi

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients applying to the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry outpatient clinic of Istanbul Faculty of Medicine

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children-adolescents who were exposed to at least one traumatic event and who were evaluated within the scope of the thesis study two year ago (January-April 2024), and one year ago (January-June 2025), Children and adolescents aged 7-18, Children and/or parents with adequate literacy and Turkish language skills.

Exclusion Criteria:

• The presence of psychotic/manic symptoms in the child or parent during the interview or any condition that makes the interview and assessment impossible (e.g., mental or developmental condition or a different communication language), The child or parent refusing to participate in the study, The presence of autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability at a severity that prevents assessment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

children who had at least one trauma two years ago; Inclusion Criteria: Children-adolescents who were exposed to at least one traumatic event and who were evaluated within the scope of the thesis study two year ago (January-April 2024), and one year ago (January-June 2025), Children and adolescents aged 7-18, Children and/or parents with adequate literacy and Turkish language skills. Exclusion Criteria: The presence of psychotic/manic symptoms in the child or parent during the interview or any condition that makes the interview and assessment impossible (e.g., mental or developmental condition or a different communication language), The child or parent refusing to participate in the study, The presence of autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability at a severity that prevents assessment.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Prevalence of PTSD and Complex PTSD in Children and Adolescents Exposed to Trauma	This study, as part of thesis research, aims to investigate the prevalence of PTSD and CPTSD diagnoses two years after the initial evaluation in trauma-exposed children and adolescents evaluated in our outpatient clinic between January-April 2024 and January-June 2025.	from january 2024 to august 2026
Factors Associated with the Diagnosis of PTSD and Complex PTSD	We aim to investigate the correlations between PTSD, CPTSD diagnoses and various clinical measures, such as the child's PTSD symptom severity assessed by the UCLA RI-5, psychological resilience, sleep routines, and anxiety/depression severity	from march 2026 to august 2026

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Istanbul University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Orengul AC, Kucukardali RS, Karal BN, Gormez V. Psychometric Assessment of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5 Brief Form in a Clinical Sample of Turkish Youth. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2025 Aug 13. doi: 10.1007/s10578-025-01905-4. Online ahead of print.
• Kucukardali RS, Karal BN, Steinberg AM, Orengul AC. Psychometric evaluation of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (PTSD RI-5) in a Turkish Clinical sample of trauma-exposed children. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2025 Dec;16(1):2465082. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2465082. Epub 2025 Feb 24.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 15, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 5, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 5, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 13, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 5, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: trauma; ptsd; complex ptsd; cptsd
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders; Mental Disorders; Stress Disorders, Traumatic; Wounds and Injuries; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2026/470

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data will not be shared in order to protect the privacy and confidentiality of the pediatric participants and their families, in accordance with the ethical approval granted for this study.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No