The effect of relocation after a natural disaster

Twenty-five women remaining in a city devastated by an earthquake were compared with 24 relocated survivors and 25 comparison women. The women were administered a structured PTSD interview, the Hamilton Depression Scale, and SCL-90-R. The women in both exposed groups showed significantly more symptoms of avoidance, arousal, and total PTSD than the comparison group. The women in the relocated city had significantly higher depression scores than the women in the earthquake city. On the SCL-90-R, relocated women were most symptomatic and comparison group women were least symptomatic. Relocation after a disaster appears to be associated more with risk for depression than with PTSD in situations where recovery is delayed following the trauma.

A preliminary study of a cartoon measure for children's reactions to chronic trauma

Preliminary psychometric properties of a new instrument, Angie/Andy Cartoon Trauma Scales (ACTS), are presented. Angie/Andy features a cartoon-based methodology, measuring trauma-related sequelae of prolonged, repeated abuse. A sample of 208 children comprised intrafamilial trauma, extrafamilial trauma, combined trauma, and nontrauma groups. Angie/Andy demonstrated high internal consistency, with coefficient alphas from 0.70 to 0.95. The three trauma groups scored significantly higher than the nontrauma group on all scales (p's < 0.0001). Generally, the most severely traumatized group scored significantly higher than the less severely traumatized groups. The number of types of violence exposures correlated with Angie/Andy scores from 0.55 to 0.74. The frequency and severity of trauma exposure correlated with Angie/Andy scores from 0.44 to 0.56. The Angie/Andy parent version correlated with a standardized parent scale from 0.71 to 0.81. Parent/child agreement was significant. Angie/Andy is a promising tool for clinical assessment of chronic childhood abuse.

Psychiatric disorders in adolescents exposed to domestic violence and physical abuse

The relationship between abuse and psychiatric diagnoses was investigated in two groups of physically abused adolescents, 57 living in homes with interparental violence and 32 in homes without such violence, and in 96 nonabused adolescents living in nonviolent homes. Adolescents in the first group were found to be at greater risk for depression, separation anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder than were those in the second group. Adolescents in the first group also appeared more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

An examination of bias in volunteer subject selection: findings from an in-depth child abuse study

Remarkably few reported studies tested the assumption that a research sample can be constructed which is representative of the population of interest. In order to investigate potential volunteer bias in abuse research, we utilized a database assembled for an NIMH funded study investigating the relationship among adolescent physical abuse, suicidal behavior, and psychopathology. Extensive information was available concerning the nonparticipant pool from which this sample was assembled, allowing for a comprehensive assessment of possible sample bias. The volunteer sample of 99 abused families who agreed to participate in our study was compared on a large number of variables with a random sample of 99 abused families who declined to participate. Comparisons of the two groups did not support the hypothesis that the non-participating families represented a more dysfunctional population. The two groups were far more similar to, than disparate from, each other.

Child and adolescent abuse and neglect research: a review of the past 10 years. Part I: Physical and emotional abuse and neglect

OBJECTIVE

To review the clinically relevant literature on the physical and emotional abuse and neglect of children and adolescents published during the past 10 years.

METHOD

Literature published between 1988 and 1998 was reviewed following a systematic search of Medline, Psychinfo, and the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect.

RESULTS

During the last decade there has been substantial progress in understanding the symptomatology associated with maltreatment. However, prevention and intervention research studies are relatively rare and frequently have important methodological limitations.

CONCLUSIONS

Child maltreatment research in the next decade needs to focus on understanding factors leading to resilient outcomes and on assessing the effectiveness of psychotherapeutic and psychopharmacological treatment strategies. Increased resources are needed to support child maltreatment research studies and investigators.

Physically abused adolescents: behavior problems, functional impairment, and comparison of informants' reports

OBJECTIVE

This study, like earlier studies that focused on younger abused children, ascertained whether physically abused adolescents exhibited increased internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Relevance to pediatric practice is discussed.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional design was used to compare the behavior of physically abused adolescents and comparison adolescents using self-reports, parent reports, and teacher reports. The level of agreement among raters was also examined.

PARTICIPANTS

The subjects were 99 physically abused adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years, who were recruited from Child Protective Services. Comparison subjects were 99 community-recruited nonabused adolescents who were matched for age, gender, and income with the abused adolescents.

MEASURES

The behavior of the adolescents was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist, and the comparable Youth Self-Report and Teacher Report Form, which are widely used measures of behavioral and emotional problems. The Child Global Assessment Scale was also used as a measure of functional impairment and of the need for mental health services.

RESULTS

Parents and teachers rated the problems of abused adolescents as significantly greater than the problems of nonabused adolescents on all checklist subscales. Abused adolescents reported significantly greater problems only on externalizing behavior subscales. In addition, based on interviewer ratings, physically abused adolescents exhibited significantly greater functional impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

Similar to previous research on abused children, physically abused adolescents exhibit externalizing and internalizing behavior problems and experience greater functional impairment. Parent, teacher, and adolescent reports of externalizing behaviors were similar, but physically abused adolescents reported fewer internalizing behaviors than did the other informants.

Adolescent physical abuse: risk for adolescent psychiatric disorders

OBJECTIVE

The present study examined whether physical abuse functions as an additional risk factor for adolescent psychopathology after other important known risk factors are controlled for.

METHOD

The authors recruited 99 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years directly from the New York State Department of Social Services after official documentation of physical abuse. The abused adolescents were compared to 99 nonabused adolescents matched for age, gender, race, and community income. Diagnostic interviews and measures of selected risk factors for psychopathology were administered to the adolescents and their parents and then entered into a multiple logistic regression model testing the added risk contributed by physical abuse to adolescent psychopathology.

RESULTS

Physical abuse added significantly to other risk factors in accounting for lifetime diagnoses of major depression, dysthymia, conduct disorder, drug abuse, and cigarette smoking. Physical abuse also contributed significantly to prediction of current adolescent unipolar depressive disorders, disruptive disorders, and cigarette smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Since physically abused adolescents are at greater risk for the development of psychiatric disorders, recognition of adolescent abuse and the provision of psychiatric and substance abuse services may reduce morbidity.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and family functioning in adolescent cancer

Twenty three adolescents with a history of cancer, 27 physically abused adolescents, and 23 healthy, nonabused adolescents were administered structured posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) interviews and self-report questionnaires regarding family functioning. Thirty five percent of adolescent cancer subjects met criteria for lifetime PTSD as compared to only 7% of the abused adolescents: 17% of the cancer subjects and 11% of the abuse subjects met criteria for current PTSD. Adolescents with cancer viewed their mothers and fathers as significantly more caring and more protective than the comparison and abused adolescents. Cancer subjects who met criteria for lifetime PTSD saw their families as significantly more chaotic than those who did not have PTSD. Eighty three percent of cancer subjects who had lifetime PTSD also had mothers who had PTSD.

Complex PTSD in victims exposed to sexual and physical abuse: results from the DSM-IV Field Trial for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Two hundred thirty four participants in the DSM-IV Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Field Trial who reported sexual and/or physical abuse were evaluated. Participants were categorized according to type of abuse (physical, sexual, both), duration of abuse (acute versus chronic), and onset of abuse (early versus late). Separate logistic regression analyses examined the relationship between age of onset, duration, abuse type, and the complex PTSD (CP) lifetime diagnosis for women and men. Sexually abused women, especially those who also experienced physical abuse, had a higher risk of developing CP, although CP symptoms occurred at a high base rate among physically abused women. The theoretical implications and incremental clinical usefulness of targeting CP symptoms with abused populations are discussed.

Adolescent physical abuse and suicide attempts

OBJECTIVE

The rate of suicide attempts and the exposure to risk factors for suicide in an unselected sample of confirmed cases of physically abused adolescents recruited directly from the New York State Central Register for Nassau and Suffolk Counties was compared with those of a community sample of nonabused adolescents.

METHOD

Semistructured and structured diagnostic interviews were used in the assessment of psychopathology of adolescents and their parents

RESULTS

The proportion of adolescents attempting suicide did not differ for the two groups. However, the abused adolescents showed significantly greater exposure to risk factors for adolescent suicide, including family disintegration, and diagnoses of depression, disruptive behavior disorders, and substance abuse and dependence. Comparisons of the 8 physically abused adolescents who attempted suicide with the 91 who did not attempt suicide showed that the following factors were associated with significantly greater risk for suicide attempts: adolescents' perceptions of their families as lacking cohesiveness and maternal support, higher adolescent "hostility" ideation scores, adolescent diagnoses of disruptive disorders and conduct disorders, adolescent substance abuse/dependence, and exposure to a suicide attempt by a family member or a friend.

CONCLUSION

A transactional model of abuse, family and personal stressors, and the development of adolescent vulnerability leading to psychopathology is offered to explain the results.

Development of a criteria set and a structured interview for disorders of extreme stress (SIDES)

Data regarding the development of a structured interview measuring alterations that may accompany extreme stress are presented. A list of 27 criteria often seen in response to extreme trauma and not addressed by DSM-IV criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were generated based on a systematic review of the literature and a survey of 50 experts. A structured interview for disorders of extreme stress (SIDES) measuring the presence of these criteria was administered to 520 subjects as part of the DSM-IV PTSD field trials. Inter-rater reliability as measured by Kappa coefficients for lifetime Disorders of Extreme Stress was .81. Internal consistency using coefficient alpha ranged from .53 to .96. Results indicate that the SIDES is a useful tool for investigation of response to extremes stress.

Dissociation, somatization, and affect dysregulation: the complexity of adaptation of trauma

OBJECTIVE

A century of clinical research has noted a range of trauma-related psychological problems that are not captured in the DSM-IV framework of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study investigated the relationships between exposure to extreme stress, the emergence of PTSD, and symptoms traditionally associated with "hysteria," which can be understood as problems with stimulus discrimination, self-regulation, and cognitive integration of experience.

METHOD

The DSM-IV field trial for PTSD studied 395 traumatized treatment-seeking subjects and 125 non-treatment-seeking subjects who had also been exposed to traumatic experiences. Data on age at onset, the nature of the trauma, PTSD, dissociation, somatization, and affect dysregulation were collected.

RESULTS

PTSD, dissociation, somatization, and affect dysregulation were highly interrelated. The subjects meeting the criteria for lifetime (but not current) PTSD scored significantly lower on these disorders than those with current PTSD, but significantly higher than those who never had PTSD. Subjects who developed PTSD after interpersonal trauma as adults had significantly fewer symptoms than those with childhood trauma, but significantly more than victims of disasters.

CONCLUSIONS

PTSD, dissociation, somatization, and affect dysregulation represent a spectrum of adaptations to trauma. They often occur together, but traumatized individuals may suffer from various combinations of symptoms over time. In treating these patients, it is critical to attend to the relative contributions of loss of stimulus discrimination, self-regulation, and cognitive integration of experience to overall impairment and provide systematic treatment that addresses both unbidden intrusive recollections and these other symptoms associated with having been overwhelmed by exposure to traumatic experiences.

Relocation after a disaster: posttraumatic stress disorder in Armenia after the earthquake

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relationship between exposure to the earthquake in Armenia on December 7, 1988, and relocation from the disaster zone, and the subsequent development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and behavioral difficulties in children.

METHOD

The PTSD module of the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents-Revised and the Depression Self-Rating Scale were administered to 25 children, aged 11 through 13 years, who had high exposure to the earthquake and remained in the earthquake city. They were compared with a demographically similar group of 24 children exposed to the earthquake who were relocated to another city after the earthquake and 25 nonexposed children. For each child the mothers responded to the Child Behavior Checklist and the teachers responded to the Teacher's Report Form.

RESULTS

The hypothesis that relocated children would present with less PTSD, depression, and behavioral problems was not confirmed. Both groups of children with high exposure to the earthquake, one remaining in the earthquake city and one relocating, demonstrated significantly higher rates of PTSD, depression, and behavioral difficulties than the comparison group. There were no differences between the relocated children and those who remained in the earthquake zone.

CONCLUSION

Children who were relocated after a natural disaster did no worse than children who remained in the disaster zone. Relocation should be considered as an alternative after catastrophic natural disasters in situations where resources are so limited that rebuilding cannot take place for an indefinite period of time.

Identification of PTSD in cancer survivors

The authors measured the rate and determinants of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a group of cancer survivors. Patients who had a history of cancer diagnosis with at least 3 years since diagnosis, receiving no active treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation, were interviewed (N = 27). Patients, who were part of the DSM-IV PTSD field trial, were compared with a community-based control group matched for age and socioeconomic status. One member of the survivor group (4%) and no members of the control group met criteria for current PTSD (NS). Six of the survivors (22%) and no control subjects met lifetime criteria (P < 0.02). Cancer patients have a higher rate of PTSD than found in the community. Symptoms closely resemble those of individuals who have experienced other traumatic events.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in mothers of pediatric cancer survivors

Prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in 24 mothers of pediatric cancer survivors was compared with its prevalence among 23 mothers of healthy children. Significantly more mothers of pediatric cancer survivors were diagnosed with lifetime PTSD. Significant differences were also found in lifetime arousal, as well as current and lifetime reexperience and avoidance symptom clusters. Significant difference existed in the distribution of the number of prediagnosis high-magnitude events experienced by the mothers diagnosed with current PTSD as compared with the prediagnosis experience of the mothers who were not diagnosed with current PTSD. Illness severity, level of perceived family and extrafamilial social support, and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised global severity index scores did not significantly differ in the PTSD-positive and PTSD-negative groups.

Psychosocial correlates of chronic fatigue syndrome in adolescent girls

Behavior problems and family functioning were investigated in a sample of 10 adolescent girls with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), 10 matched healthy adolescent girls, and 10 adolescents with childhood cancer in remission. Based on the adolescent girls' reports, the CFS group had significantly higher scores than the cancer and healthy comparison adolescent girls on somatic complaints and also significantly higher scores than the cancer controls on internalizing symptoms and depression. Parent reports resulted in significantly higher scores in the CFS group than the adolescent girls from the healthy comparison groups on internalizing scores and somatic complaints. There were no significant differences on any family variables.

Post-traumatic stress disorder in physically abused adolescents

OBJECTIVE

In an investigation of the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other Axis I psychiatric disorders, and social and behavioral difficulties, 27 physically abused adolescents were compared with 27 nonabused controls who were recruited through random-digit dialing procedures.

METHOD

The Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis (PTSD module), Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, and Youth Self-Report were administered to all subjects; mothers were interviewed regarding their adolescent's behavior using the Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children and Child Behavior Checklist.

RESULTS

The three physically abused adolescents who received a diagnosis of PTSD on the PTSD module of the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis reported their PTSD symptoms were in reaction to extrafamilial sexual assaults and not to physical abuse. In contrast, the abused adolescents showed significantly higher prevalence rates of depression, conduct disorder, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and social deficits.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that physically abused adolescents may be more at risk for behavioral and social difficulties than for PTSD.

The failure of a school-based child sexual abuse prevention program

Structured interviews were administered to 22 children, ranging in age from 6 to 10 years old, who did not disclose long-term sexual abuse by an auxiliary school employee, despite having been exposed to a school-based child sexual abuse prevention program. The results are presented in the context of a review of existing literature on school-based child sexual abuse prevention programs. Results point to the ineffectiveness of brief, single presentation, prevention efforts not geared to specific developmental levels of the audience, the need to explore the impact of the variable of group versus individual victimization on disclosure, and the need for further study of sexually victimized children who received prevention programming with the addition of a control group sample.

Gender identification and sex role attribution in sexually abused adolescent females

An exploratory study of the association between child sexual abuse and subsequent gender identification and sex role attribution was conducted with 93 adolescent females. Victims of intrafamilial sexual abuse with a history of psychotherapeutic treatment were compared with nonabused subjects with a history of treatment and nonabused control subjects with no treatment history. Measures of gender identity found that sexually abused and nonabused treatment groups differed significantly from the no-treatment controls. Distinct patterns of gender identification emerged for the sexually abused victims. Hypothesized differences in sex role attribution were not found. Potential directions for future research are proposed and implications and recommendations for treatment are discussed.