The Biographical Narratives of an Adolescent in Kinship Care: A Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Case Study
Year: 2025
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: The presence and impacts of violence, abuse, and neglect in the context of Australian children in kinship care is an ongoing concern for health services. This article reviews the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) literature, covering diagnostic criteria, the impacts of and treatment for trauma among adolescents, and narrative exposure therapy (NET) processes and research. Using a clinical case study, the current research aimed to understand the lived biographical narratives of an adolescent in kinship care experiencing C-PTSD using NET transcription excerpts. Themes identified from the narratives include substance use, parental mental health and self-harm, parental assault, community violence, sleeping rough, and freedom. In addition, the International Trauma Questionnaire—Child and Adolescent (ITQ-CA) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales—Youth (DASS-Y) were used to identify clinically significant changes from pre- to post-intervention. Scores indicate a clinically significant decrease on both the ITQ-CA and the DASS-Y, providing preliminary support for the use of NET with adolescents in kinship care. Limitations and future considerations are discussed.
DOI: 10.59158/001c.136978
Author: Grant T. Ryan
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4409912654