Elementary school children were interviewed 1 and 14 months following a sniper attack using a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Reaction Index. At 1 month following the event: Children exhibited the symptoms of post traumatic stress. Direct playground exposure to the violence was most strongly associated with a severe response. Children knowing the one deceased child well had more severe responses At 1 and 14 months: Age, sex and ethnicity demonstrated no significant effect on the number of symptoms. Worry about a significant other and previous trauma did not increase the number of symptoms but often resulted in other symptoms. Guilt increased severity of response At 14 months: Direct exposure continued to result in the most symptoms. Children with less exposure had diminished symptomatology. Knowing the deceased victim well did not affect scores for the most exposed children but increased scores for all other exposure levels. Grief scores increased with increased acquaintance with the deceased
