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Fereidooni F, Daniels JK, D Krause-Utz A, Hagenaars MA, Smeets T, Heins J, Dorahy MJ, Emmerik AAPV, de Jong PJ, Hoekstra S, Warrens MJ, Lommen MJJ. Childhood maltreatment and adulthood victimization: An evidence-based model. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 167:46-62. [PMID: 37832203 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
There is ample evidence showing that childhood maltreatment increases two to three fold the risk of victimization in adulthood. Various risk factors, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, dissociation, self-blame, and alcohol abuse are related to revictimization. Although previous research examined associations between risk factors for revictimization, the evidence is limited and the proposed models mostly include a handful of risk factors. Therefore, it is critical to investigate a more comprehensive model explaining the link between childhood maltreatment and adulthood (re)victimization. Accordingly, this study tested a data-driven theoretical path model consisting of 33 variables (and their associations) that could potentially enhance understanding of factors explaining revictimization. Cross-sectional data derived from a multi-wave study were used for this investigation. Participants (N = 2156, age mean = 19.94, SD = 2.89) were first-year female psychology students in the Netherlands and New Zealand, who responded to a battery of questionnaires and performed two computer tasks. The path model created by structural equation modelling using modification indices showed that peritraumatic dissociation, PTSD symptoms, trauma load, loneliness, and drug use were important mediators. Attachment styles, maladaptive schemas, meaning in life, and sex motives connected childhood maltreatment to adulthood victimization via other factors (i.e., PTSD symptoms, risky sex behavior, loneliness, emotion dysregulation, and sex motives). The model indicated that childhood maltreatment was associated with cognitive patterns (e.g., anxious attachment style), which in turn were associated with emotional factors (e.g., emotion dysregulation), and then with behavioral factors (e.g., risky sex behavior) resulting in revictimization. The findings of the study should be interpreted in the light of the limitations. In particular, the cross-sectional design of the study hinders us from ascertaining that the mediators preceded the outcome variable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Fereidooni
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Judith K Daniels
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands.
| | - Anne D Krause-Utz
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | | | - Tom Smeets
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, the Netherlands
| | - Jenna Heins
- Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Martin J Dorahy
- Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | | | - Peter J de Jong
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Steven Hoekstra
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Matthijs J Warrens
- Department of Educational Sciences, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Miriam J J Lommen
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
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Zylberstajn C, Messina Coimbra B, Oliveira-Watanabe TT, Rangel Maciel M, Calsavara VF, Olff M, Feijo Mello M, Feijo Mello A. The Relationship between Lifetime Exposure to Potentially Traumatic Events, Peritraumatic Dissociation, and PTSD in a Sample of Sexually Assaulted Women in Sao Paulo, Brazil. J Trauma Dissociation 2023; 24:252-267. [PMID: 36271690 DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2022.2136326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Sexually assaulted women represent a particularly high-risk group for developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Potentially traumatic events (PTEs) and peritraumatic dissociation (PD) are known risk factors for PTSD. However, little is known about how previous trauma affects PD and how this relationship affects PTSD. We aimed to investigate whether PD acts as a mediator between PTEs and PTSD severity in a sample of recently sexually assaulted women in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Seventy-four sexually assaulted women aged 18-44 completed questionnaires and structured interviews on PTSD, PD, and PTEs. We examined direct and indirect effects of variables using causal mediation analysis. Lifetime exposure to PTEs was a risk factor for PD, but PD was not a risk factor for PTSD symptom severity. Also, PD was not a mediator between PTEs and PTSD severity. We provided recommendations on how to further explore the relationship between lifetime traumatic exposure, PTSD, and peritraumatic dissociation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Zylberstajn
- Program for Research and Care on Violence and PTSD (PROVE), Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bruno Messina Coimbra
- Program for Research and Care on Violence and PTSD (PROVE), Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.,Amsterdam UMC, location University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute and Amsterdam Neuroscience Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thauana T Oliveira-Watanabe
- Program for Research and Care on Violence and PTSD (PROVE), Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mariana Rangel Maciel
- Program for Research and Care on Violence and PTSD (PROVE), Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Vinicius F Calsavara
- Cedars‑Sinai Medical Center, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Miranda Olff
- Amsterdam UMC, location University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute and Amsterdam Neuroscience Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands
| | - Marcelo Feijo Mello
- Program for Research and Care on Violence and PTSD (PROVE), Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andrea Feijo Mello
- Program for Research and Care on Violence and PTSD (PROVE), Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
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Carvalho CM, Coimbra BM, Bugiga A, Marques DF, Kiyomi Ota V, Mello AF, Mello MF, Belangero SI. Hyperarousal Symptom Severity in Women with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Might Be Associated with LINE-1 Hypomethylation in Childhood Sexual Abuse Victims. Complex Psychiatry 2023; 9:44-56. [PMID: 37034826 PMCID: PMC10080193 DOI: 10.1159/000529698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Sexual assault and a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are related to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) development. Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1) are transposable elements, and their methylation is used to infer DNA global methylation. DNA methylation can be affected by trauma exposition which in turn would be associated with PTSD. Thus, we investigated if the LINE-1 methylation pattern is related to PTSD symptoms in females with a history of CSA. Methods This is a case-control study that examined, at baseline (W1), 64 women victims of sexual assault diagnosed with PTSD and 31 patients with PTSD who completed the 1-year follow-up (W2). Participants were categorized into two groups according to the presence of CSA (PTSDCSA+: NW1 = 19, NW2 = 10; PTSDCSA-: NW1 = 45, NW2 = 21). PTSD symptoms (re-experiencing, avoidance, hyperarousal, alterations in cognition/mood) were assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, and the history of CSA was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. LINE-1 methylation was measured in three sites (CpG1, CpG2, CpG3) located in the 5'UTR region using bisulfite conversion followed by pyrosequencing. Linear regression models were performed to test the relation between LINE-1 CpG sites methylation and PTSD symptoms. Results We found a negative association between CpG2 methylation and hyperarousal symptoms among those in the PTSDCSA+ group in W1 (adjusted p = 0.003) compared to the PTSDCSA- group (p > 0.05). Still, no association was observed between other PTSD symptoms and other CpG sites. Further, in the longitudinal analysis, LINE-1 hypomethylation was no longer observed in PTSD participants exposed to CSA. Conclusion Our findings suggest that LINE-1 methylation may help understand the relationship between trauma and PTSD. However, more studies are needed to investigate LINE-1 as an epigenetic marker of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Muniz Carvalho
- Department of Psychiatry of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
- LiNC - Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bruno Messina Coimbra
- Department of Psychiatry of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute and Amsterdam Neuroscience Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Amanda Bugiga
- LiNC - Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Genetics Division of Department of Morphology and Genetics of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Diogo Ferri Marques
- Department of Psychiatry of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
- LiNC - Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Vanessa Kiyomi Ota
- LiNC - Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Genetics Division of Department of Morphology and Genetics of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Andrea Feijó Mello
- Department of Psychiatry of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marcelo Feijó Mello
- Department of Psychiatry of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sintia Iole Belangero
- LiNC - Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Genetics Division of Department of Morphology and Genetics of Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil
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Trapani VF, Feuerschuette OHM, Júnior AT. Legal Pregnancy Interruption due to Sexual Violence in a Public Hospital in the South of Brazil. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE GINECOLOGIA E OBSTETRICIA : REVISTA DA FEDERACAO BRASILEIRA DAS SOCIEDADES DE GINECOLOGIA E OBSTETRICIA 2022; 44:945-952. [PMID: 36446561 PMCID: PMC9738043 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1755457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To analyze the cases of all women who attend to a service of legal termination of pregnancy in cases of sexual violence in a public reference hospital and to identify the factors related to its execution. METHODS Cross-sectional observational study with information from medical records from January 2014 to December 2020. A total of 178 cases were included, with an evaluation of the data referring to the women who attended due to sexual violence, characteristics of sexual violence, hospital care, techniques used, and complications. The analysis was presented in relative and absolute frequencies, medians, means, and standard deviation. Factors related to the completion of the procedure were assessed using binary logistic regression. RESULTS Termination of pregnancy was performed in 83.2% of the cases; in 75.7% of the cases, the technique used was the association of transvaginal misoprostol and intrauterine manual aspiration. There were no deaths, and the rate of complications was 1.4%. Gestational age at the time the patient's sought assistance was the determining factor for the protocol not being completed. Pregnancies up to 12 weeks were associated with a lower chance of the interruption not occurring (odds ratio [OR]: 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.12-0.88), while cases with gestational age > 20 weeks were associated with a greater chance of the interruption not happening (OR: 29.93; 95%CI: 3.91-271.50). CONCLUSION The service studied was effective, with gestational age being the significant factor for resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alberto Trapani Júnior
- Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil,Address for correspondence Alberto Trapani Júnior, PhD, MD Rua Esteves Júnior,458/802, CEP 88015-130. Florianópolis, SCBrazil
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Luis MA, Leite FMC, Letourneau N, Monroy NAJ, de Godoi LG, Lopes-Júnior LC. Sexual Violence against Adolescents in the State of Espírito Santo, Brazil: An Analysis of Reported Cases. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14481. [PMID: 36361355 PMCID: PMC9654849 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We describe the prevalence of the reported cases of sexual violence against adolescents and analyze their associated factors. METHODS A cross-sectional analytical study (n = 561) was conducted with reported data on sexual violence against adolescents in the state of Espírito Santo registered in SINAN between 2011 and 2018 to understand the prevalence and predictors of sexual violence against adolescent victims, as well as to describe the perpetrators and the nature of the aggression. Variables to characterize the victim, aggression, and perpetrator were used. Bivariate analyses were performed using chi-square (χ2) and Fisher's exact tests, and multivariate analyses were conducted using log-binomial models; the results were presented with prevalence ratios. All analyses were stratified by sex. RESULTS The prevalence of sexual violence was 32.6%, and 93% of the victims were female. In both males and females, the reported sexual violence was associated with a younger age (10-12 years old), living at home, being related to the perpetrator, and a history of sexual violence. In females, the reported sexual violence was also associated with the number of perpetrators, and in males, with the perpetrator's age. CONCLUSIONS Our findings show the high frequency of reporting of sexual violence and the characteristics of the victim, the aggression, and the aggressor as factors associated with its occurrence in both sexes. The importance of health information systems for disseminating data and the need for measures to prevent and treat the violence among adolescents is urgent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayara Alves Luis
- Graduate Program in Public Health, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Vitoria 29047-105, Brazil
| | - Franciéle Marabotti Costa Leite
- Graduate Program in Public Health, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Vitoria 29047-105, Brazil
| | - Nicole Letourneau
- Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4V8, Canada
| | | | | | - Luís Carlos Lopes-Júnior
- Graduate Program in Public Health, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Vitoria 29047-105, Brazil
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6
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Prevalence and risk factors for acute stress disorder in female victims of sexual assault. Psychiatry Res 2021; 306:114240. [PMID: 34673311 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Sexual assault is one of the most traumatic events a person can experience. Despite this, information regarding the risk factors associated with the development of Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) in sexual assault victims is scarce. A follow-up prospective cohort study was designed to examine the prevalence and risk factors of ASD in women exposed to a recent sexual assault. A total of 156 women were treated at the Emergency Department of a university general hospital shortly after sexual assault. Sociodemographic, clinical and sexual assault-related variables were collected. The Acute Stress Disorder Interview was used to estimate the prevalence of ASD at three weeks post-SA. From the 156 victims, 66.6% (N = 104) met ASD diagnosis using DSM-5 criteria, whereas 59.6% (N = 93) met ASD diagnosis using DSM-IV criteria. The risk factors associated with the development of ASD were nationality, psychiatric history, peritraumatic dissociation and type of assault. In conclusion, the prevalence of ASD in female victims of recent sexual assault was high, affecting approximately two thirds of them. The recognition of the risk factors associated with ASD development, like peritraumatic dissociation or type of assault, may aid in the prompt detection of vulnerable women that require early and specific interventions shortly after trauma.
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Steine IM, Skogen JC, Hysing M, Puigvert L, Schønning V, Sivertsen B. Sexual harassment and assault predict sleep disturbances and is partly mediated by nightmares: Findings from a national survey of all university students in Norway. J Sleep Res 2021; 30:e13338. [PMID: 34130358 DOI: 10.1111/jsr.13338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 02/05/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Sexual harassment and assault is common in most domains of society, and has been linked to several adverse outcomes, including reduced sleep quality. However, less is known about the possible impact of sexual harassment and assault on various sleep problems among university students. In a sample of 49,051 students in Norway (69.2% women), we examined i) the associations of varying extents of sexual harassment (unwanted sexual comments, looks or gestures, photographs, indecent exposure, and physical harassment) and sexual assault (attempted or completed rape), with meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria of insomnia and with sleep duration, ii) the association of cumulative exposure to sexual harassment/assault with insomnia and sleep duration, and iii) to what extent nightmares could explain the association between sexual harassment and insomnia and sleep duration. For both genders, all forms of harassments with the exception of "indecent exposure" and "unwanted sexual photographs" for men were negatively associated with sleep duration, with the strongest associations being found for "rape" and "attempted rape". For both genders, the odds of insomnia increased as a function of cumulative harassment exposure. Similarly, a graded, negative association was found between cumulative harassment and sleep duration for both genders. Mediation analyses showed that 28% of the observed association between cumulative harassment and insomnia, and 15% of the association between cumulative harassment and sleep duration, was mediated by frequency of nightmares.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris M Steine
- Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Psychology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jens Christoffer Skogen
- Department of Health Promotion, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway.,Alcohol and Drug Research Western Norway, Stavanger University Hospital, Norway
| | - Mari Hysing
- Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lidia Puigvert
- Department of Sociology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Viktor Schønning
- Department of Health Promotion, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway
| | - Børge Sivertsen
- Department of Health Promotion, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway.,Department of Research and Innovation, Helse Fonna HF, Haugesund, Norway.,Department of Mental Health, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW To provide an update of recent or relevant studies on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in urban women, with a special focus on biopsychosocial risk factors. RECENT FINDINGS Urbanization itself can increase the risk for PTSD due to the concentration of poverty, substance use and crime. Women are usually at a greater social and economic disadvantage and are victims of collective and domestic violence more often than men. Accordingly, urban women are more exposed to traumatic events that increase the prevalence of PTSD than rural women and both rural and urban men, especially those with lack of social and family protection and support (including refugees) and/or with a history of interpersonal violence. This type of events has sensitizing effects on the PTSD response to other traumatic experiences even if they are of a lesser magnitude, which may reflect women's biological susceptibility to PTSD, and could explain their higher risk of developing chronic PTSD. SUMMARY A complex interaction of biopsychological factors may contribute to the ultra-high-risk for PTSD among urban women. The socially modifiable factors involved highlight the importance of strategies focused on women's social development that could reduce their social suffering and its negative mental health outcomes.
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