Introduction: Trauma is an emotional response of an individual to a distressing event, such
as an accident, sexual assault, or a natural disaster. Individuals who have experienced trauma
may encounter difficulties in performing daily activities. Therefore, occupational therapists,
as members of a multidisciplinary team, assist individuals in reintegrating into activities that
are meaningful to them, consequently reducing the impact of trauma. Purpose: The purpose
of this thesis is to determine what is already known in the field of occupational therapy about
intervention for children and adolescents who have experienced psychological trauma or
have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Methods: For the implementation
of this thesis, a literature review was conducted. Article searches were performed using the
Digital Library of the University of Ljubljana in the following databases: Chinal, PubMed,
and Web of Science. The search utilized a combination of various English keywords related
to occupational therapy, children and adolescents, and trauma. The analysis included
professional or scientific articles, available in full text and published in the English language,
between the years 2013 and 2023 in the field of occupational therapy intervention for
children and adolescents who have experienced psychological trauma. Results: In the final
analysis, we included 13 articles. Most of them were published in occupational therapy
journals, while three articles were from journals related to family violence and the field of
children and adolescents exposed to traumatic experiences. In the research, the most
commonly used occupational therapy approaches were a multidisciplinary approach and
sensory-integration. Discussion and conclusion: The field of occupational therapy in the
treatment of children and adolescents who have experienced trauma and have been
diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder is still relatively under-researched.
Occupational therapy addresses sensory and developmental deficits in children and
adolescents who have experienced trauma. Various approaches and assessment tools are
used, with the most commonly used one being the sensory integration approach, focusing on
sensory modulation and motor skill learning, as well as the use of visual tools with the help
of a multi-level scale for assessing and recognizing one's own emotions. In the development
of an individualized treatment plan, evaluation is crucial, as it ensures the fulfillment of all
the child's and adolescent's needs. This field requires further research to better understand
the role of occupational therapy.
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