Trauma Symptom Checklist For Children Research Articles

Beyond the shadows of trauma: exploring the synergy of emotional intelligence and distress disclosure in Nigerian adolescents’ trauma journey

Although adolescence is a critical period marked by increased vulnerability to trauma, the mechanisms underlying how adolescents cope with such experiences remain underexplored. This study is anchored in Hobfoll’s conservation of resources theory and Porges’ polyvagal theory, which together suggest that emotional intelligence and distress disclosure are critical resources for adolescents coping with trauma and investigated the interplay of distress disclosure in the relationship between emotional intelligence and trauma among secondary school adolescents. A three-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 491 adolescents enrolled in public secondary schools in Enugu State, Nigeria, selected using a two-stage cluster sampling technique. Emotional intelligence, distress disclosure, and trauma symptoms were assessed using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Scale, Distress Disclosure Index, and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, and mediation analysis were employed. The results indicated significant negative relationships between emotional intelligence, distress disclosure, and adolescent trauma. Furthermore, the mediation analysis revealed that distress disclosure partially mediated the relationship between the latter two. These findings have practical implications for designing interventions and support systems that foster emotional intelligence and promote distress disclosure among Nigerian adolescents and others exposed to trauma. Future research should explore additional protective factors to enhance the robustness and generalisability of the findings.

Gender Differences, Trauma, and Resilience of Children Born of Rape, and Perception of Their Behavior by Parents and the Community in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo

This study was conducted in the eastern DR Congo to analyze the trauma of children born of rape (CBOR), and their behavior as it is perceived by their parents and community. Twenty-four families of women rape survivors and twenty-seven control families were used. The Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children, Child Behavior Checklist, and Child and Youth Resilience Measure tests were applied. In addition, a discussion group was conducted with community members. Comparatively to girls, boys born from rape are traumatized and have psychopathological concerns such as anxiety, depression, and summation, and high internalized and externalized behaviors compared to boys from control families. Furthermore, CBOR are aggressive and gather in gangs. Despite the suffering, both CBOR and their siblings increase their resilience over the years and derive it from their environment, especially in the absence of the father who has become a polygamist. Girls born of rape are more resilient than their siblings.

Social and emotional adjustment, post-traumatic stress disorder, and representations of family relationships: The effects of intimate partner violence on very young children

IntroductionPregnancy and the birth of a child are times of great vulnerability that can disrupt the couple and sometimes trigger violence. ObjectiveThis study sets out to examine how a child's exposure to intimate partner violence at a very young age can impact their development and adjustment, and more specifically, to highlight the social, emotional, traumatic and family consequences for children exposed to intimate partner violence in early or late childhood. MethodOur sample comprised 46 children aged between 5 and 12. The following measurement tools were used: SAGA (Systemic Analysis of Group Affiliation) test (Compagnone, 2009) for family cohesion representations, CBCL (Child Behavior Checklist) (Achenbach, 1991) for social and emotional adjustment, and TSCC (Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children) (Briere, 1989) for post-traumatic stress. ResultsResults indicate that children exposed to intimate partner violence at an early age are the most likely to present symptoms of anxiety and depression. ConclusionThe representation of the cohesiveness of the mother–child relationship plays a moderating role between the onset of intimate partner violence and the externalized adjustment displayed by the children. This leads us to posit that a poor cohesive mother–child relationship is a risk factor for the child's adjustment.

Resilience in Swedish adolescents-Does resilience moderate the relationship between trauma experience and trauma symptoms?

Research shows child abuse to be devastating for psychological health, but children and adolescents display varying reactions from maltreatment. Resilience is known as a protective factor, but sparse research is conducted on adolescents or assess resilience with consideration of ecological theories. Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire (ARQ) was developed to assess the five dimensions: Individual, Family, Peers, School, and Community and covers the broader ecological resilience spectrum. As resilience is a part of the human being survival system we wanted to investigate if resilience measured with ARQ, could moderate associations between experiences of trauma and trauma symptoms. Six hundred fifty adolescents between 15 and 17 years old were asked to complete the Linkoping Youth Life Experience Scale (LYLES), the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), and the Adolescent Resilience Questionnaire (ARQ). The results showed that high scores on any dimension of the ARQ were negatively associated with trauma symptoms and that the dimension Peers moderated the effect of trauma symptoms on both interpersonal traumatic events and adverse childhood circumstances for males. The dimension Family moderated the effect of trauma symptoms on noninterpersonal traumatic events for females. Resilience seems to be an important factor when it comes to evaluating posttraumatic symptoms and that different resilience factors have different meanings for different types of traumas as well for boys and girls. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Can Dissociation Mediate the Relationship between Emotional Dysregulation and Intelligence? An Empirical Study Involving Adolescents with and without Complex Trauma Histories.

The main aim of the study was to map the psychological functioning of individuals with adverse childhood experiences, with the objective to characterize developmental trajectories. Specifically, we investigated the relations among three of the seven domains of impairment in children and adolescents who had been exposed to complex trauma. To this end, we tested a mediation model with emotional dysregulation as the independent variable, intelligence as the dependent variable, and dissociation as the mediator. The research sample was composed of 64 participants (10-19 years old); 31 adolescents formed the clinical group and 33 the non-clinical group; for the clinical group, we recruited adolescents who were residents of therapeutic communities and had a history of complex trauma. Both groups completed the Difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS), Adolescent dissociative experience scale (A-DES), Trauma symptom checklist for children (TSCC), and Wechsler scales. The data analysis yielded significant results for the control group only. We suggest that healthy adolescents adopt a non-pathological dissociative cognitive style in response to increased emotional dysregulation, thus explaining their enhanced cognitive performance.

One-year Cohort Follow-up on the Diagnosis and Posttraumatic Symptoms in Child Sexual Assault Victims in Korea.

The victims and their families of child sexual abuse (CSA) may confront persistent psychological sequela. We aimed to investigate the psychological symptoms, diagnosis, and family functions in children and adolescents with CSA. We assessed the symptom scales at 6-month intervals, and conducted diagnostic re-assessments at 1-year intervals. Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales IV (FACES-IV), and Family Communication Scale (FCS) scores were reported by children or parents. We found in parent-reported TSCYC, that posttraumatic stress symptoms domain scores significantly decreased with time progression. The scores decreased more in the evidence-based treatment group over time in anxiety and posttraumatic stress symptom domains of TSCC. In FACES-IV and FCS scores, indices of family function have been gradually increasing both after 6 months and after 1 year compared to the initial evaluation. Further, about 64% of the children diagnosed with psychiatric diseases, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the initial assessment maintained the same diagnosis at follow-up. We observed changes in psychological symptoms and family functioning in sexually abused children with time progression during 1 year. It is postulated that PTSD may be a persistent major mental illness in the victims of CSA.

Childhood Trauma, Trauma Symptoms, Family Fat Talk in Relation to Adolescent Eating Behavior

The aim of the study was to examine whether childhood traumatic experience, trauma symptoms, and family discussions about obesity are associated with adolescent eating behavior. In addition, the study examined gender differences. Participating in the study were 726 adolescents (369 – girls, 344 – boys, 13 – no specific gender) aged 11 to 16. They completed the following questionnaires: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Fink et al., 1995); Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (Briere, 1995); Eating Attitudes Test (Garner et al., 1982); Family Fat Talk Questionnaire (Macdonald et al., 2015). The results showed positive associations between perceived altered eating behaviors and emotional and sexual abuse, depressive and dissociative symptoms, personal and family talk about obesity. Personal conversations about obesity predicted 21% of the variation of the adolescent’s perception of altered eating behavior. The addition of emotional abuse and dissociative symptoms in the regression model increased the explained variance to 25%. Girls reported significantly higher ratings on the study variables.

Emotional Dysregulation and Trauma Symptoms Mediate the Relationship Between Childhood Abuse and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury in Adolescents.

BackgroundNonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is common in adolescents. Emotion dysregulation has been identified as a core mechanism in the development and maintenance of NSSI and it is therefore an important target when addressing NSSI. The pathogenic connection between different kinds of childhood abuse, difficulties in emotion regulation and NSSI needs further investigation. The objective of this study was to examine whether difficulties with emotion regulation and trauma symptoms, separately and together, mediate the relationships between sexual, physical and emotional abuse and NSSI.MethodCross-sectional data was collected from 3,169 adolescent high-school students aged 16–19 years (M = 18.12, SD = 0.45). Data from self-reported experiences of childhood abuse, current difficulties with emotion regulation (measured with the Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale, DERS-16) and trauma symptoms (measured with the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, TSCC), and NSSI were collected. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed relationships between variables.ResultsThe prevalence of life-time NSSI was 27.4%. Prevalence of reported childhood abuse was 9.2, 17.5, and 18.0% for sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, respectively. Childhood abuse, difficulties with emotion regulation and trauma symptoms exhibited significant positive associations with NSSI in adolescents. Emotional dysregulation and trauma symptoms were both found to mediate the relationship between childhood abuse and NSSI. Latent variable models were found to fit data well.ConclusionResults indicate that increased levels of emotional dysregulation and trauma symptoms in relation to childhood abuse contribute to the increased risk of NSSI. Further, results point to some aspects of emotional dysregulation and trauma symptoms being more important in this regard. Clinical implications are discussed.

Independent and Cumulative Effects of Recent Maltreatment on Suicidal Ideation and Thoughts of Self-harm in a National Sample of Youth

PurposeThis study examines the impact of several forms of past-year maltreatment on thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation and considers how these effects may vary by gender. MethodsAnalyses are based on telephone interviews with a nationally representative sample of 6,364 youth aged 10–17 years, from three waves (2008, 2011, and 2014) of the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence. Suicidal and self-harm ideation were measured with items from the Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children. Emotional maltreatment, physical maltreatment, neglect, and witnessing family violence were measured using items from the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire. ResultsOver 8% of the sample reported suicidal and/or self-harm ideation in the past month, with females more likely to report these outcomes than males. Youth who experienced recent emotional maltreatment, neglect, or witnessing family violence were more likely to report suicidal or self-harm ideation, independent of the other maltreatment types, presence of an internalizing disorder, and demographics. A dose-response relationship between the number of types of maltreatments and these outcomes was also evident. Finally, females were more negatively affected by emotional abuse and by experiencing two forms of past-year maltreatment than their male counterparts. ConclusionsEmotional abuse was the type of maltreatment most strongly related to thoughts of self-harm and/or suicidal ideation and was particularly detrimental to females in this sample. Given the especially damaging effects of exposure to multiple forms of maltreatment, our research highlights the importance of including comprehensive maltreatment assessment in youth suicide and self-harm prevention efforts.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Sexually Abused Children: Secure Attachment as a Protective Factor.

The aim of the present study was to examine the hypothesis that attachment and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) interacted such that school aged CSA survivors with insecure attachment to parents would be at an elevated risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma symptoms. Participants (n = 111, ages 7–12) comprised two groups, child CSA survivors (n = 43) and a matched comparison group of children (n = 68) recruited from the community. Children completed the Child Attachment Interview (CAI) as well as the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC). There was a significant interaction between sexual abuse history and attachment security, such that sexually abused children with insecure attachment representations had significantly more PTSD and trauma symptoms than sexually abused children with secure attachment to parents. The findings show that using a dual lens of attachment and CSA can facilitate the identification of children most at risk and has important implications for understanding risk and resilience processes.

Psychological Allostatic Load: the Cost of Persistence in STEM Disciplines

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of persistence within STEM learning environments as a function of cumulative stress and latent trauma. The biopsychosocial impact of prolonged stressors due to hostile environments and academic demands has deleterious health effects on historically underrepresented students who enter STEM disciplines. The Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children, clinical histories, and psychophysiomeasurement tools were used to measure the effects of cumulative stress and latent trauma as historically underrepresented students persisted through high school STEM discipline classes. Elevated responses on the inventory and history were triangulated through measures of biological markers for cumulative stress and developed into a profile combination of traits to identify those students likely to show symptomology consistent with the negative effects of cumulative stress and latent trauma. Examination of these outcomes using a latent class profile analysis model suggested the presence of cumulative stress resulting from program participation was significant.

The Relationship between Suggestibility, Fabrication, Distortion, and Trauma in Suspected Sexually Abused Children

Being a victim of abuse in childhood can lead to the development of trauma-related psychopathology, which could affect the testimony of the child victim. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a factor that can increase both the levels of suggestibility and the production of memory errors, such as confabulations, which can be identified in distortions and fabrications. No studies have analyzed the relationship between suggestibility, fabrications, distortions, and PTSD on samples of children and adolescents suspected of being sexually abused. This study aims to verify in a sample of 221 sexually abused children and adolescents the effect of PTSD, measured by Trauma Symptoms Checklist for Children, in increasing the levels of immediate and delayed suggestibility and the production of fabrications and distortions in immediate and delayed memory tasks, obtained by Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 2, controlling age and non-verbal intelligence. Our results show that PTSD increases the levels of immediate and delayed suggestibility, but it has no effect on memory recall in immediate recall tasks. Moreover, PTSD leads to a greater number of distorted and fabricated information inserted in delayed memory. Forensic implications of PTSD consequences on memory tasks and suggestibility levels of sexually abused children are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS) in a sample of Swedish children

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometrics of the Swedish version of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS). This was to obtain access to an international instrument to identify symptoms of post-traumatic stress in children and adolescents according to the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Method A total of 591 young Swedish schoolchildren aged 13–17 years old were given the CATS together with the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC), and the Linköping Youth Life Experience Scale (LYLES-Y). A clinical group of 42 children who had experienced a potential trauma was also given the same questionnaires. Statistical analyses were carried out for the purpose of reliability, different kinds of validity, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) concerning the construct of the CATS. Results The CATS showed good internal consistency on all four subscales from α = 0.73–0.89 and moderate stability (intra class correlation [ICC] = 0.57–68). The four-factor model for PTSD indicated good fit, reliability, and convergent validity. The CATS correlated strongly with the PTSD subscale on the TSCC (r = 0.82) and there were significant differences between the nonclinical and clinical groups. Conclusions The study shows that the Swedish translation of CATS has satisfactory psychometric properties, including acceptable sensitivity and specificity. The CATS could therefore be used as a screening tool both outside and within a clinical setting.

Social-Ecological Resilience Moderates the Effectiveness of Avoidant Coping in Children Exposed to Adversity: An Exploratory Study in Lithuania.

BackgroundAgainst the high prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in Lithuania, the government testified a lack of effective ways to address the problem. A crucial endeavor for intervention planners is to identify the risk and protective factors whose interaction may lead at risk children to achieve greater levels of functioning. Internal qualities and external resources can act independently or interactively to reduce the damaging effects of adversities, and to enhance resilience process. In particular, both coping strategies and social resources have been shown to have a consistent influence on trauma-related outcomes.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the potential interaction of coping strategies with external resources in predicting trauma-related outcomes in children exposed to adversities.Participants and SettingA sample of 372 Lithuanian children (mean age = 13.03; range: 7–17) with a history of traumatic experiences has been involved.MethodsThe Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (CYRM-R), the Children Coping Strategy Checklist (CCSC), and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) have been administered to participants. A moderation analysis was performed to test whether social-ecological resilience moderate the relationship between each coping strategy and trauma-related outcomes. Results: When controlling for sex, age, other coping strategies, and social-ecological resilience, only active coping was found to significantly predict each of the trauma-related symptoms. Furthermore, social-ecological resilience has a negatively moderating effect on the relationship between avoidant coping strategies and depression.ConclusionMHPSS professionals who design and implement interventions to enhance the likelihood of resilience among vulnerable children, should take in considerations the multiple interaction between social-ecological resilience and avoidant coping strategies in the children adjustment.

Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors in Maltreated Children and Adolescents Receiving Forensic Assessment in a Child Advocacy Center

ABSTRACT Previous studies have indicated that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and other forms of child maltreatment (CM), as well as their subsequent posttraumatic symptoms, are significant risk factors for the development of disordered eating behaviors and attitudes and eating disorders (EDs). However, there are no known reports of CM based on forensic interview and assessment that have been linked to disordered eating behaviors and attitudes, or eating disorders (EDs), especially in children and adolescents. We, therefore, examined the hypothesis that ED-related symptoms would be significantly associated with trauma-related symptoms in children with reported maltreatment. Girls (n = 179, 11.9 ± 2.4 years) and boys (n = 99, 11.7 ± 2.8 years) referred for forensic assessment of alleged maltreatment completed the Kids’ Eating Disorders Survey, the Eating Disorders Inventory for Children (EDI-C), the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, and the Adolescent Dissociative Experiences Scale, among others. Significant positive correlations between most EDI-C subscale scores and most TSC-C subscale scores (PTSD, dissociation, anxiety, depression, sexual concerns) were found (p ≤.001) in the total sample and girls alone. Participants with credible, substantiated disclosures had significantly higher scores on several ED-related measures than those with non-credible, non-substantiated disclosures. Linear regression analysis indicated that PTSD and dissociative symptoms were significant predictors of EDI-C scores in those with substantiated disclosures (p ≤.001). Findings support the hypothesis that ED-related symptoms are significantly linked to authenticated CM.

Examining the Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children in a Diverse Sample of Trauma-Exposed Adolescents.

The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) is a widely used youth assessment of broad, transdiagnostic symptomatology following trauma. However, its factor structure has not been thoroughly tested in diverse samples. Youth (N = 738) exposed to interpersonal violence, including physical and sexual abuse, completed the TSCC. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test one-, six-, and eight-factor models of the TSCC clinical scales, based on previous literature and the TSCC manual. We examined measurement invariance across boys and girls and Black and non-Black participants, as well as convergent and discriminant validity. An eight-factor structure, consisting of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression, anger, overt dissociation, fantasy dissociation, sexual preoccupation, and sexual distress, demonstrated the best fit, with two items removed. Invariance tests supported configural and metric (but not scalar) invariance. This research highlights the need for further testing before differences between gender and racial groups can be accurately compared.

Cyberbullying and Its Relationship to Current Symptoms and History of Early Life Trauma: A Study of Adolescents in an Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Unit.

Cyberbullying has received wide media attention and appears to be linked to frequent adverse consequences, with multiple suicides reported. This study examined the prevalence of cyberbullying among adolescent psychiatric inpatients and related it to social media usage, current levels of symptoms, and histories of adverse early life experience. Data on the prevalence of social media utilization and cyberbullying victimization were collected from adolescent psychiatric inpatients aged 13 to 17 years from September 2016 to April 2017. Fifty adolescent psychiatric inpatients completed 2 surveys assessing childhood trauma (the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and the Cyberbullying Questionnaire. Twenty percent of participants (10/50) had been victimized by cyberbullying. Access to and engagement in social media or Internet-based communication was extremely common, with most participants engaging on a daily basis or more frequently in at least 1 social media activity. Those who had been bullied endorsed significantly higher scores on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anger, and fantasy dissociation scales than those who were not bullied (all P values < .05). Subjects who reported having been victims of cyberbullying endorsed significantly higher levels of lifetime emotional abuse on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire than those who were not bullied (P = .013); however, they did not report a significantly higher level of the other types of trauma (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, or physical neglect). More bullied than nonbullied subjects had clinically and statisticallysignificant elevations in hyperresponse, PTSD, and depression scale scores (P < .05). Being cyberbullied was associated with greater psychiatric symptom severity. Further, histories of emotional abuse were correlated with recent cyberbullying. These data suggest that individuals with histories of childhood trauma also seem vulnerable to continued adverse experiences during adolescence.

Utilizing the TSCC in Therapeutic Residential Care

ABSTRACTThis study evaluated the trends of reported childhood trauma found in two adolescent therapeutic residential communities (TRCs) in the rural Rocky Mountain West as measured by the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC). The participants (N = 168) involved in the study were adolescent males and females aged 12–16 who had been admitted into therapeutic residential care (TRC). Results indicated that depression, disassociation, and anger were the primary trauma symptoms with this population. Implications and recommendations per the evidence-based practice common element approach are included.

Using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children-Short form (TSCC-SF) on abused children in South Africa: Confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch models

BackgroundWhile assessment measures of trauma-related symptoms in children exist, few of them are at once brief, self-reports, normed, comprehensive (i.e., cover both general and trauma-specific symptoms), and thus suitable for poorly resourced clinical contexts. ObjectiveThis study validated the short form of the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-SF) in a sample of children and adolescents. Participants and settingsParticipants were school-age children and adolescents (N = 270; Mage = 12.55 yrs., SD = 1.19; 67% = Female) exposed to different types of abuse (i.e., sexual, physical, emotional and neglect) receiving counselling at a non-governmental organisation. MethodsThe TSCC-SF’s factor structure and Differential Item Functioning (DIF) across sexes were examined using confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis. ResultsResults revealed a satisfactory construct validity of the scale, while internal consistency was also adequate. No DIF was found across the sexes. ConclusionsThe TSCC-SF appears to be a viable option for use with children exposed to different types of abuse, particularly in low resource clinical contexts.

Assessing and Treating Trauma in Detained Adolescents: A Pre–Post Within Subjects Evaluation

This investigation evaluated trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (T-F CBT) with detained male adolescents with serious offending behaviors. One hundred and seventeen youth with trauma symptoms participated in an average of twelve T-F CBT individual sessions. Trauma symptoms were assessed prior to and following treatment using the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) and a paired sample t-test was used to analyze changes from pre- to posttest. Trauma symptoms in five of the six scales (i.e., anger, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress, dissociation) were significantly reduced following treatment. T-F CBT may be effective in reducing general trauma symptoms among detained adolescents; assessing and treating trauma symptoms are recommended as standard protocol in the juvenile justice system; and T-F CBT may be effective without caregiver participation.