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Nightmares are a common response to a traumatic event and are one symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder. Although several treatments are currently available for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder, few studies report the efficacy of such treatments for nightmares. The current case involves the treatment of an adolescent rape victim who was involved in a treatment that targeted posttraumatic stress disorder and panic attacks. Following this treatment, the adolescent continued to report the experience of nightmares several times per week. The adolescent was then treated with a three-session cognitive behavioral treatment package involving relaxation procedures, exposure to the nightmare content, and rescripting the nightmare. At the one-month and three-month follow-up sessions, the patient reported a decrease in the intensity and frequency of nightmares. In this case it appeared necessary to include exposure and to target salient trauma-related themes in the rescripted dream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a nationally representative sample of 4,008 adolescents, this study examines gender differences in violence exposure, major depressive episode (MDE) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and characteristics of violence incidents. It was hypothesized that there would be gender differences in the types of violence exposure reported and in the prevalence of MDE and PTSD and that gender would moderate the relationship between violence exposure and mental health outcomes. Results indicated significant gender differences in rates of violence exposure, PTSD, and MDE. Additionally, gender was a moderating variable in the relation between sexual assault and PTSD, but not in the other violence exposure-mental health relations examined, It thus appears that the pathways for developing PTSD may be different for male and female victims of sexual abuse. Implications for interventions and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]