Objective: Given the need to identify psychological risk factors among traumatized youth, this study examined the family functioning of traumatized youth with or without PTSD and a nonclinical sample. Method: The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, second edition (FACES II; Olson, Portner, & Bell, 1982), scores of youth with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; n = 29) were compared with the scores of trauma-exposed youth without PTSD (n = 48) and a nontraumatized comparison group (n = 44). Child diagnostic interviews determined that all participants were free of major comorbid disorders. Results: The FACES II scores of the participants with PTSD were not significantly different from the scores of trauma-exposed youth without PTSD and the nontraumatized comparison group. FACES II scores were also not significantly different between the trauma-exposed youth without PTSD and the nontraumatized comparison group. Conclusions: PTSD and trauma-exposure without PTSD were not associated with variations in the perception of family functioning as measured by the FACES II.

The Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory (JEPI) scores of traumatized youth with or without PTSD were compared to the scores of a non-traumatized control group. It was observed that the PTSD group had significantly higher JEPI Neuroticism scores relative to the comparison groups. The JEPI Neuroticism scores of the traumatized group without PTSD and the non-traumatized controls were not significantly different. Nonsignificant differences were also evidenced between groups on the JEPI Extraversion and Lie scales.