Many teen boys treated at an ER following a violent assault also want psychological services to help them cope with the trauma, according to new research.
"Assault victims describe feeling constantly tense and 'on guard,' and having nightmares or unwanted flashbacks of the assault. Unfortunately, many youth also begin to avoid talking about the event or avoiding the places or people that remind them of the assault -- school, friends, normal adolescent activities," said study author Rachel Myers, a research scientist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
"It shows us that just treating the external wounds is not enough. Young men not only need, but want, help to cope with their fears and difficult emotions in the aftermath of injury," Myers said in a hospital news release.
The study included 49 teenage boys between the ages of 12 and 17. All were treated at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's emergency room at some point between 2012 and 2016. Most were black and lived in an urban setting. All had been assaulted, often by their own peers.
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