Trauma Experiences, Maltreatment-Related Impairments, and Resilience Among Child Welfare Youth in Residential Care

Abstract

The aim of this paper was to provide a description of the trauma experiences, trauma-related sequels, and resilience features of a sample of Canadian youth in residential care facilities, as well as to explore the impact of gender and of the number of different traumas experienced on trauma-related sequels and resilience features. A convenience sample of 53 youth aged 14 to 17 recruited from six child protection residential care units agreed to voluntarily participate in the study. They were administered the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, and the Child and Youth Resilience Measure. Results revealed high rates of abusive and neglectful experiences in the lives of these youth. Most have experienced multiple forms of trauma. Girls were more likely to report sexual abuse and to display clinical levels of sexual concerns, as well as posttraumatic stress and dissociation symptoms. Multiple forms of trauma were related to higher clinical levels of depression, anger, posttraumatic stress, and dissociation, as well as to lower individual, relational, and community resilience features.