Post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents exposed to violence.

The common biopsychosocial sequelae of violence exposures are reviewed, with a focus on post-traumatic stress disorder in developmental, clinical, and familial contexts. Challenges to assessment are reviewed, and implications for prevention and treatment are presented. Pediatricians have an essential role to play in secondary and tertiary prevention through the use of anticipatory guidance and victimization as a marker of developmental risk.