Childhood Trauma Abuse Research Articles

The Relationship Between Child Abuse Trauma and Cyberbullying Is Analyzed from The Perspective of Social Work

This study explores the relationship between the trauma experienced by abused children and cyberbullying from a social work perspective. It first defines child abuse and cyberbullying, and subsequently examines the traumatic effects of child abuse and the attributes and effects of cyberbullying. By analyzing the relationship between the two, we will clarify the reasons why abused children are vulnerable to cyberbullying, and investigate the psychological and emotional reactions of abused children after the occurrence of cyberbullying. Finally, drawing on the role and obligations of social work, recommendations are made to address the intertwined challenges of child abuse trauma and cyberbullying, highlighting the importance of intervention and support for these vulnerable groups.

Maternal childhood maltreatment trauma resolution: Development of a novel narrative coding measure and implications for intergenerational parenting processes.

Child maltreatment constitutes a significant environmental risk for children, with carryover effects into future generations. There is a need to characterize protective factors that may buffer against the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment. The current study addresses this gap through two primary aims: 1) the development and validation of a novel measure assessing resolution of maternal childhood maltreatment trauma using narrative coding methods and 2) the evaluation of maternal maltreatment trauma resolution as a buffering factor that may moderate associations between maternal neglect histories and sensitive parenting of offspring. Results of reliability analyses from this sample of 210 diverse, low-income mothers suggest the novel childhood maltreatment trauma resolution measure is highly reliable. Furthermore, results highlight the generalizability, criterion validity, and concurrent and predictive validity of the measure. Results from cross-sectional analyses show that trauma resolution moderates associations between maternal physical neglect histories and sensitive parenting, such that under high maternal trauma resolution, there is no longer a negative association between neglect histories and sensitive parenting. Results from longitudinal analyses also show a protective effect of maternal trauma resolution, such that trauma resolution has a protective-enhancing effect on maternal sensitivity. Implications for research and clinical practice with families are discussed.

'Compressed Baby Head': A New 'Abusive Head Trauma' Entity?

Child abuse represents an important issue in the medico-legal and social context. In the last few decades, various aspects and mechanisms have been identified in child abuse case studies; however, constant research is needed in the field. With this paper, the authors will present a case of a new entity of Abusive Head Trauma that has come to the attention of medico-legal experts. The trauma analysis performed on the cranio-encephalic district of the baby revealed quite peculiar lesions that led the authors to exclude that the injuries had been solely caused by violent shaking of the baby's head, as suggested by Shaken Baby Syndrome. Instead, the authors hypothesised that another lesion mechanism had been added to this one, namely latero-lateral cranial compression. The comprehensive and exhaustive analysis of the case led the authors to present a new possible entity in child abuse trauma, namely 'Compressed Baby Head'. To the best of our knowledge, in the current literature, no similar clinical cases have ever been described. Thus, the case's uniqueness deserves to be brought to the attention of experts and the entire scientific community, as well as medical personnel, paediatricians, and reanimators. These professional figures are the first individuals who may encounter complex clinical cases such as the one presented in this paper; thus, they need to know how to properly manage the case and ensure protection for the abused infants and children.

Shelter in Place and an Alarming Increase in Penetrating Trauma in Children and Concerning Decrease in Child Abuse.

On March 14, 2020, schools across North Carolina (NC) closed in response to Covid-19, forcing completion of the school year at home. Most pediatric trauma occurs at home with a higher prevalence when children are out of school. We queried the state trauma database to assess if the 2020 "shelter in place" was associated with an increase in pediatric trauma statewide. The NC trauma database was queried for injuries in children (age < 18yrs) from 13 March-1 August 2020, and the corresponding months of 2018 and 2019. The number and type of injuries were compared. We also queried the NC death certificate and child welfare databases. Data were analyzed by standard statistical methods using chi-squared or Kruskal-Wallis test. Total pediatric trauma cases were lower during 2020 (71.6 per 100,000) compared to 2018 (92.4 per 100,000) and 2019 (80 per 100,000) (P < .001); however, average injury severity score (ISS) was higher (P = .001). A significant increase in firearm injuries were seen in 2020 (P = .016), with an increase in mortality (P = .08) and ISS (P = .013). The rate of child abuse trauma decreased in 2020 (P = .005) as did the number of child abuse and neglect reports (P < .001). There were also significant decreases in trauma due to sports, burns, falls, and motor vehicle accidents. While overall pediatric trauma decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an alarming increase in penetrating injuries in children. Child abuse trauma and reports decreased, which is concerning for lower identification of abuse.

아동학대 트라우마 성인의 성장 경험에 관한 자문화기술지

Objectives This study presents an in-depth description of the growth and development process of the researcher who experienced traumatic child abuse by an alcohol-abusing primary caregiver through career exploration and healing and recovery by becoming a late learner in the counseling psychology major from an emic perspective.&#x0D; Methods To this end, an autobiographical cultural technology magazine was applied to conduct a qualitative research method to talk about life experiences such as child abuse that the researcher himself experienced, The researcher's individual experience was explained by approaching psychotherapy based on developmental psychology and counseling psychology.&#x0D; Results The results of the study are as follows. First, the researcher was traumatized by child abuse from an alcohol-abusing primary caregiver; second, the formation of an unstable attachment with the primary caregiver, which was unsafe and unprotected, had a negative effect on the researcher's life from childhood to adulthood; third, in a situation where the researcher could not expose his trauma due to blood relationship with the primary caregiver, it became a long-term trauma; and fourth, emotion regulation and psychotherapeutic approaches were necessary through awareness and discernment of the adult survivor of the child abuse to achieve growth and recovery after the hardship.&#x0D; Conclusions Understanding the nature of child abuse trauma through auto-ethnography gives insight into the long-term effects of child abuse and the growth and recovery process after the hardship of the late learner majoring in counseling psychology and provides therapeutic intervention methods to traumatized adult survivors and their families.

Early Fatherhood after a History of Childhood Maltreatment Trauma: Relationships, Experiences, and Intervention Needs

Early Fatherhood after a History of Childhood Maltreatment Trauma: Relationships, Experiences, and Intervention Needs

The importance of child abuse and neglect in adult medicine

The risk for adverse consequences and disease due to the trauma of child abuse or neglect is easily assessed using the self-administered modified ACEs questionnaire. Exposure to child maltreatment is endemic and common. At least one out of every ten USA adults has a significant history of childhood maltreatment. This is a review of the literature documenting that a past history of childhood abuse and neglect (CAN) makes substantial contributions to physical disease in adults, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, hypertension, stroke, kidney disease, hepatitis, obesity, diabetes, coronary artery disease, pelvic pain, endometriosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and auto immune diseases. Adults who have experienced child maltreatment have a shortened life expectancy. The contribution of CAN trauma to these many pathologies remains largely underappreciated and neglected compared to the attention given to the array of mental illnesses associated with child maltreatment. Specific pathophysiolologic pathways have yet to be defined. Clinical recognition of the impact of past CAN trauma will contribute to the healing process in any disease but identifying specific effective therapies based on this insight remains to be accomplished. Recommendations are made for managing these patients in the clinic. It is important to incorporate screening for CAN throughout adult medical practice now.

Impact of lockdown and school closure on children’s health and well-being during the first wave of COVID-19: a narrative review

BackgroundIn the context of containment measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, the aims were to examine the impact of lockdown and school closures on childs’ and adolescents’ health and well-being and...

Risk Factors and Indicators for Commercial Sexual Exploitation/Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking of Adolescent Girls in the United States in the Context of School Nursing: An Integrative Review of the Literature.

As trusted health care providers in the school setting, school nurses are positioned uniquely to identify children at risk for or victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). Nevertheless, many victims go unrecognized and unaided due to inadequate provider education on victim identification. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the major risk factors for CSEC of girls aged 12-18, the largest group of CSEC victims in the United States. A search of four databases (Web of Science, CINAHL, PsychINFO, and PubMed) yielded 21 articles with domestic focus, published in English between January 2014 and May 2020. While childhood maltreatment trauma was found most relevant, a variety of other risk factors were identified. Future nursing research is called to address the numerous research gaps identified in this review that are crucial for the development of policies and procedures supporting school nurses in recognizing victims quickly and intervening appropriately.

Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States: A Perspective for Nurses

Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is a crime and a public health concern with a long-standing history, globally and in the United States. Among a multitude of risk factors, childhood maltreatment trauma has been identified as most relevant. CSEC victims suffer a range of acute and chronic physical and mental health consequences. Though fearful and distrusting, victims do seek medical care, even while under their trafficker’s control. Nevertheless, many go unrecognized and unaided due to inadequate provider education about victim identification. As members of the largest healthcare profession nationwide, nurses have an important role in confronting CSEC. To fulfill this role, nurses need education to recognize “red flags” of victimization, as well as knowledge about trauma-informed assessment and response. This article offers background information and discusses recruitment tactics, health consequences, clinical care, and implications for nursing practice and research.

Affect dysregulation and dissociation from child abuse trauma

Affect dysregulation and dissociation from child abuse trauma

The severity, consequences and risk factors of child abuse in China – An empirical Study of 5836 children in China's mid-western regions

Based on empirical studies of 5836 children in six provinces of China's Mid-Western regions, this paper contributes to existing knowledge by analyzing the severity, consequences and risk factors of child abuse. There are three major findings. Firstly, significant regional disparities of the severity of child abuse exist in China and non-Han ethnic minority regions have higher reported child abuse rate. Secondly, psychological trauma of child abuse is tremendous and children's psychological wellbeing in all domains is seriously affected when suffering from different forms of abuse. Children in poor ethnic minority regions and younger children experience severe trauma consequences. Thirdly, family relationships including the quality of couple relationships and intergenerational relationships are significant risk factors of child abuse, indicating the necessity of improving relationships for addressing child abuse. Implications of the empirical findings for future policies and actions for alleviating child abuse are summarized in the end.

Identification of depression subtypes and relevant brain regions using a data-driven approach

It is well known that depressive disorder is heterogeneous, yet little is known about its neurophysiological subtypes. In the present study, we identified neurophysiological subtypes of depression related to specific neural substrates. We performed cluster analysis for 134 subjects (67 depressive subjects and 67 controls) using a high-dimensional dataset consisting of resting state functional connectivity measured by functional MRI, clinical questionnaire scores, and various biomarkers. Applying a newly developed, multiple co-clustering method to this dataset, we identified three subtypes of depression that are characterized by functional connectivity between the right Angular Gyrus (AG) and other brain areas in default mode networks, and Child Abuse Trauma Scale (CATS) scores. These subtypes are also related to Selective Serotonin-Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) treatment outcomes, which implies that we may be able to predict effectiveness of treatment based on AG-related functional connectivity and CATS.

Childhood maltreatment trauma: a comparison between patients in treatment for substance use disorders and patients in mental health treatment

ABSTRACTBackground: While previous research has found strong associations between childhood maltreatment trauma and substance use disorders (SUDs), the role of possible moderating effects of gender and mediating effects of psychopathology and SUD is unclear.Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate differences in self-reported childhood maltreatment trauma, general psychological distress, and post-traumatic stress symptoms between 112 patients in treatment for substance use disorders (SUD group) and 112 matched controls with mild to moderate mental health disorders (comparison group).Methods: Childhood maltreatment trauma was measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire – Short Form (CTQ-SF). General psychological distress was measured by the Symptom Checklist-90 – Revised (SCL-90-R), and post-traumatic stress symptoms were measured by the Impact of Event Scale – Revised (IES-R).Results: The SUD group reported more severe childhood maltreatment trauma than the comparison group. Females in the SUD group reported more severe and various forms of trauma compared to males. The SUD group reported higher mean scores on the SCL-90-R, but the proportions of people with caseness scores on the IES-R and the SCL-90-R were similar in the two samples. The SUD group reported more avoidance symptoms than the comparison group.Conclusion: This study adds further evidence to the repeatedly found strong associations between childhood maltreatment trauma and SUD, implying that the prevention of childhood maltreatment trauma may reduce the occurrence of SUD. Furthermore, patients with SUD should be screened for childhood maltreatment trauma, and the results should be applied in trauma-informed as well as trauma-focused interventions aimed to help this population. The association appears to be particularly strong for female substance users.

Psychobiology of cumulative trauma: hair cortisol as a risk marker for stress exposure in women

Childhood trauma (CT) is associated with long-lasting alterations of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and elevated risk for stress exposure in adulthood. Although HPA alterations are present in the early aftermath of trauma, it remains unclear how initial HPA activity is associated with subsequent stress exposure and whether CT exposure influences the strength and direction of this association. The present study examined prospective associations between hair cortisol content (HCC) and stress exposure from baseline to 3-month follow-up in young adult women with recent (i.e. past 3 months) exposure to interpersonal violence (IPV; i.e. physical or sexual assault) and non-traumatized controls. History of significant CT abuse or neglect was determined based on clinical cutoffs for a self-report CT measure: 12 women had abuse or neglect and recent IPV exposure (CT + IPV); 7 women had abuse or neglect but no IPV exposure (CT); 15 women had no history of trauma (NTC). HCC was computed for 3 cm sections reflecting cortisol secretion during the 3 months preceding the baseline assessment. The interaction of cumulative trauma and HCC predicted stress exposure over 3-month follow-up, controlling for baseline stress exposure and depressive symptoms. Simple slopes analyses revealed that lower baseline HCC predicted greater stress exposure in the CT + IPV group compared to the CT group; HCC was not associated with stress exposure in the NTC group. The present findings highlight the potential utility of HCC as a predictor of stress exposure for women with a history of childhood abuse or neglect, particularly in the context of recent IPV.Lay summaryAdults with a history of CT show long-lasting alterations in major stress response systems, including the HPA axis. They are also more likely to experience stressful life events in adulthood. However, it is not clear how altered HPA activity influences risk for stress exposure and whether CT affects their relationship. The results from this study show that lower HPA activity (measured with hair cortisol) predicted greater stress exposure in women with CT – particularly for women who also experienced recent incidents involving physical or sexual assault.

Prevalence and Predictors of Breastfeeding After Childhood Abuse

ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence and predictors of breastfeeding intent and outcomes in women with histories of childhood maltreatment trauma (CMT), including those with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). DesignSecondary analysis of a prospective observational cohort study of the effects of PTSD on perinatal outcomes. SettingPrenatal clinics in three health systems in the Midwestern United States. ParticipantsWomen older than 18 years expecting their first infants, comprising three groups: women who experienced CMT but did not have PTSD (CMT-resilient), women with a history of CMT and PTSD (CMT-PTSD), and women with no history of CMT (CMT-nonexposed). MethodsSecondary analysis of an existing data set in which first-time mothers were well-characterized on trauma history, PTSD, depression, feeding plans, feeding outcomes, and several other factors relevant to odds of breastfeeding success. ResultsIntent to breastfeed was similar among the three groups. Women in the CMT-resilient group were twice as likely to breastfeed exclusively at 6 weeks (60.5%) as women in the CMT-PTSD group (31.1%). Compared with women in the CMT-nonexposed group, women in the CMT-resilient group were more likely to exclusively breastfeed. Four factors were associated with increased likelihood of any breastfeeding at 6 weeks: prenatal intent to breastfeed, childbirth education, partnered, and a history of CMT. Four factors were associated with decreased odds of breastfeeding: African American race, PTSD, major depression, and low level of education (high school or less). ConclusionPosttraumatic stress disorder is more important than childhood maltreatment trauma history in determining likelihood of breastfeeding success. Further research on the promotion of breastfeeding among PTSD-affected women who have experienced CMT is indicated.

Treating Adult Survivors of Sibling Sexual Abuse: A Relational Strengths-Based Approach

Sibling sexual abuse is a far more common manifestation of family violence than is often recognized. Researchers agree that it has received less attention than other forms of child abuse trauma despite the fact that good evidence suggests it is no less injurious than child sexual abuse when a parent or other adult is the perpetrator. This paper describes a relational, strengths-based approach to psychotherapy with adult survivors of sibling sexual abuse guided by trauma-informed principles. Cultural considerations are discussed as well as an overview of the clinical research on sibling sexual abuse and its harmful effects. Clinical case material, treatment strategies and a case illustration demonstrate therapeutic principles of the approach in action.

Predisposing and Precipitating Factors for Dissociation During Labor in a Cohort Study of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Childbearing Outcomes.

Peritraumatic dissociation is an important predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and impaired bonding following childbirth. The purpose of this study was to follow up on an earlier finding that peritraumatic dissociation in labor was associated with adverse postpartum outcomes by identifying predictors of dissociation in labor. This analysis used data from a prospective cohort study of primiparous women from southeast Michigan. There were 564 women included in the analysis; the primary outcome measure was the Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire (PDEQ) score measuring dissociation during labor. The prevalence of dissociation in labor for this sample was 7.4%. Important predictors of dissociation in labor included both predisposing (eg, childhood maltreatment trauma, preexisting psychopathology) and precipitating (eg, perception of care, negative appraisal of labor) factors. Overall, these predictors explained 14.7% of variance in PDEQ score. In 3 separate, simple linear regression models, the PDEQ score explained 20% of variance in postpartum PTSD, 13% of variance in postpartum depression, and 9% of variance in impaired bonding. Women with maltreatment history and PTSD are at risk to be retraumatized or overwhelmed by birth and to dissociate. Although it would be optimal to assess for dissociative coping prenatally, assessing with the PDEQ following birth could contribute to evaluation of risk for postpartum psychopathology.

Childhood Maltreatment Trauma: Relevance for Adult Physical and Emotional Health. A Review

Childhood Maltreatment Trauma: Relevance for Adult Physical and Emotional Health. A Review

Child Abuse, Resting Blood Pressure, and Blood Pressure Reactivity to Psychosocial Stress.

Childhood trauma is associated with hypertension in adults. It is unknown whether childhood trauma predicts elevated blood pressure earlier in development. We investigated whether the trauma of child abuse was associated with blood pressure in adolescents. The sample included 145 adolescents aged 13-17 years, 40% with exposure to child abuse. The mean age of participants was 14.93 years (SD = 1.33); 58% were female. The majority self-identified as non-Hispanic White (43%), with the remainder identifying as non-Hispanic Black (17%), Hispanic (17%), or other/mixed race (23%). We used established age/sex/height-specific cutoffs to determine the prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension in the sample. We used two-sample t tests to examine associations of abuse with resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and blood pressure reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Test and a frustration task. We used linear regression to adjust for potential confounders including sociodemographic variables, body mass index, smoking, and psychopathology. Mean resting SBP and DBP were 114.07 mmHg and 61.35 mmHg in those with a history of abuse and 111.39 mmHg and 56.89 mmHg in those without a history of abuse. This difference was significant for DBP only. Twelve percent of participants met criteria for prehypertension or hypertension based on resting blood pressure values; this did not differ between those with and without an abuse history. Child abuse was associated with lower DBP and SBP reactivity to laboratory stress tasks and reduced DBP reactivity to frustration. These associations were robust to adjustment for potential confounders. Child abuse is associated with higher resting DBP and blunted DBP and SBP reactivity to laboratory stress in adolescence. These findings suggest a potential pathway by which child abuse leads to hypertension.