RESUMO
Multiple trauma exposures during childhood are associated with a range of psychological symptoms later in life. In this study, we examined whether the total number of different types of trauma experienced by children (cumulative trauma) is associated with the complexity of their subsequent symptomatology, where complexity is defined as the number of different symptom clusters simultaneously elevated into the clinical range. Children's symptoms in six different trauma-related areas (e.g., depression, anger, posttraumatic stress) were reported both by child clients and their caretakers in a clinical sample of 318 children. Path analysis revealed that accumulated exposure to multiple different trauma types predicts symptom complexity as reported by both children and their caretakers.
Assuntos
Maus-Tratos Infantis/psicologia , Transtornos Traumáticos Cumulativos/psicologia , Transtornos Mentais/psicologia , California/epidemiologia , Cuidadores , Lista de Checagem , Criança , Maus-Tratos Infantis/classificação , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Auditoria Médica , Inquéritos e Questionários , Avaliação de SintomasRESUMO
The multivariate relationship between interpersonal trauma, posttraumatic stress, affect dysregulation, and various avoidance behaviors was examined in a sample of 418 trauma-exposed participants from the general population. Structural equation modeling indicated that (a) suicidality, substance abuse, dissociation, and problematic activities such as self-injury and dysfunctional sexual behaviors were all indicators of a robust latent variable, named dysfunctional avoidance, (b) accumulated exposure to various types of interpersonal trauma was associated with this avoidance factor, and (c) the relationship between trauma and dysfunctional avoidance was independently mediated by both posttraumatic stress and diminished affect regulation capacity.