Muller, Robert TomKonanur, Sheila2024-07-182024-07-182024-03-012024-07-18https://hdl.handle.net/10315/42113Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT) is a widely used treatment model for trauma (Cohen, Mannarino, & Deblinger, 2006). The Healthy Coping Program was a multi-site community-based study which evaluated the effectiveness of TF-CBT with trauma-exposed school-aged children in a diverse Canadian city (Muller & DiPaolo, 2008). Using data from the Healthy Coping Program, the role of children’s self-concept, and its relationship to posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms were examined. Self-report data were collected from a total of 111 trauma-exposed children referred for a trauma-focused intervention (assessment and TF-CBT). Children’s self-concept was measured using the short form version of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale – Second Edition (Fitts & Warren, 1996). Children’s PTS was measured using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (Briere, 1996). Trauma-exposed children’s self-concept was found to have a decreasingly significant negative relationship with PTS symptoms over the course of assessment and TF-CBT. Self-concept was significantly more dysfunctional amongst trauma-exposed children compared to a normative sample of children. Significant improvements in trauma-exposed children’s self-concept were observed after receiving trauma-focused intervention. Trauma-exposed children’s self-concept moved from a clinically dysfunctional range to the clinically functional range over the course of the assessment and continued to improve during TF-CBT. Further, these improvements were maintained at a six-month follow-up. These findings support the effectiveness of TF-CBT in improving trauma-exposed children’s self-concept and underscore the importance of considering how children view themselves after trauma. Clinical implications are discussed.Author owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.PsychologyClinical psychologyDevelopmental psychologyElectronic Thesis or Dissertation2024-07-18ChildDevelopmentTraumaAbuseTF-CBTCommunity-basedSelf-conceptPosttraumatic stress