A critical review of recovered memories in psychotherapy: Part II--Trauma and therapy

Does childhood trauma cause personality disorders in adults?

OBJECTIVE

To examine the relationship between trauma in childhood and personality disorders in adulthood.

METHOD

A review of the literature was conducted.

RESULTS

The reported associations between trauma and personality pathology are illuminated by the following research findings: 1) personality is heritable; 2) only a minority of patients with severe personality disorders report childhood trauma; and 3) children are generally resilient, and traumatic experiences do not consistently lead to psychopathology.

CONCLUSIONS

The role of trauma in the personality disorders is best understood in the context of gene-environment interactions.

The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in an adolescent inpatient unit

OBJECTIVE

To examine the prevalence and comorbidity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in an adolescent inpatient population. A 2-year retrospective chart study was conducted.

METHOD

Computer-registered data of discharge records from 1993 and 1994 were recovered. Patients were grouped by diagnosis; frequency and chi-square statistical analyses were performed to ascertain the prevalence and the comorbidity of various diagnoses with PTSD.

RESULTS

A total of 187 patients, 114 females and 73 males, with a mean age of 15 years were reviewed, and 42% (79) of all patients had a diagnosis of PTSD using DSM-III-R criteria. There were 54 females and 25 males with PTSD; however, gender effect was not clinically significant. Associated comorbidity reaching clinical significance included other anxiety disorders (P = 0.008) and depressive disorders (P = 0.003). Asthma was diagnosed as a significant clinical disorder (P = 0.05) comorbid with PTSD. PTSD diagnoses correlated strongly with a history of abuse (P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

PTSD occurs frequently in adolescent inpatients and is commonly comorbid with other diagnostic presentations. These findings may affect the management of PTSD and prognosis for this population.