Parents key to how trauma affects kids

MINNEAPOLIS, May 5 (UPI) -- Parents can play a key role in determining how their children react to trauma, U.S. researchers say.

The review, published in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, suggests the quality of parenting practices following trauma mediates the relationship between the traumatic event and the child's subsequent adjustment.

Study leaded Abigail Gewirtz of the University of Minnesota reviewed the existing literature to inspect the ways in which parents can affect children's recovery in the aftermath of trauma. Gewirtz says certain parenting behaviors have the potential to significantly improve children's outcomes.

The review finds that parenting practices that provide structure, security, emotional warmth and an environment that addresses the traumatic event serve to surround children with a protective environment.

"By providing an overview of the evidence to-date, and a proposed prevention research framework, it is our hope that others will see and respond to the need to advance this field," the study authors said in a statement.