Prevalence and Impact of Trauma in a Diverse Head Start Sample

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence and nature of traumatic events experienced by an ethnically diverse sample of Head Start preschoolers (ages 3-5), as rated by their caregivers (N=66), and how experiencing trauma varies by ethnicity.  Traumatic impact as influenced by age at the event, number of events experienced (polyvictimization), and frequency of experiencing events is discussed.  Eighty-five percent of children had experienced trauma.  There were no ethnic differences in trauma prevalence.  Caregivers rated traumatic impact as more severe for children who had experienced multiple types of events and for those who experienced traumatic events more frequently.  Intervention implications are discussed.