Children with sexual behavior problems: Ties to child maltreatment, family functioning, and help-seeking.

Although the literature on children's sexual behavior problems (SBPs) has indicated that maltreatment and family dysfunction are linked to SBPs, several facets of these factors have remained unexamined. Prior research has largely focused on SBPs more broadly, though interpersonal SBPs (ISBPs) are likely a distinct, more severe SBP subtype. The aim of the current study was to examine potentially relevant, unexplored factors, including the number of types of and total allegations of maltreatment as well as familial characteristics (i.e., parenting attitudes and behaviors, discipline methods, family functioning, and help-seeking) in relation to SBPs and ISBPs. The present study included 8-year-old children (N = 1,011, 51.1% female, 53.8% Black) and their caregivers from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) study. In the model for SBPs, externalizing symptoms, the number of types of maltreatment allegations, maladaptive discipline methods, and help-seeking were associated with SBPs, whereas child's gender, race/ethnicity, internalizing symptoms, total maltreatment allegations, income, family functioning, and parenting attitudes were unrelated, r2 = .23. When ISBPs were examined, only child's gender and externalizing symptoms were tied to ISBPs, r2 = .09. However, child's race/ethnicity and internalizing symptoms, as well as maltreatment experiences, family factors, and help-seeking, were not associated with ISBPs. These findings highlight the importance of broader externalizing symptoms for both SBPs and ISBPs as well as the role of multiple types of maltreatment, parenting behavior, and help-seeking in the context of general SBPs.

Perceptions of parenthood and child development among parents who experienced child maltreatment.

Maltreatment survivors may be at risk for parenting challenges, although the previous literature is inconsistent, has focused on individual maltreatment forms, and has overlooked posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and other trauma exposure. The current study, thus, aimed to expand this research in four key ways by (a) examining all five maltreatment forms; (b) controlling for other nonmaltreatment trauma exposure to better isolate the role of maltreatment; (c) investigating maltreatment types and PTSS simultaneously; and (d) exploring novel parenting factors, specifically four types of parenting beliefs and developmental knowledge. Trauma-exposed parents (N = 301; Mage = 26.49 years, SD = 8.34, range: 18-69 years; 66.8% female; 59.8% White) participated in the study. A path analytic model indicated that, surprisingly, none of the maltreatment types nor cumulative trauma exposure corresponded with parental beliefs related to one's child, self, partner, or social relationships. PTSS, however, were tied to all four parenting belief types as well as developmental knowledge, ßs = -.05-.40. Physical and emotional abuse were linked to less accurate developmental knowledge, ß = .02, and maladaptive parenting practices, ß = .03. Sexual abuse, neglect, and witnessing domestic violence were not associated with any of the parenting factors. Thus, current trauma symptoms are likely a more critical intervention focus than maltreatment experiences, although physical and emotional abuse may also play a role in parenting knowledge and behaviors. These findings also signal the importance of including all five maltreatment forms and PTSS when conducting research on the interaction between trauma and parenting.

Complex Trauma and Sexual Abuse: Relations to Caregiver-Child Symptom Disagreement.

Trauma-exposed children and their caregivers often differ with regards to how the child is faring following trauma exposure, and this symptom discordance is related to negative clinical outcomes. Even though this symptom disagreement is common, it remains less clear if it is universal across trauma types and there may be sub-groups of trauma-exposed children and their caregivers who are at greater risk for discordance. At this time, prior work has not investigated how more severe traumatic events, such as childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and complex trauma (i.e. chronic/multiple interpersonal traumas prior to age 10), may correspond with caregiver-child symptom concordance. The study objectives were to examine: 1) the level and direction of children's symptom discordance and 2) whether CSA and complex trauma were associated with higher levels of caregiver-child symptom disagreement. Two hundred and sixty-nine treatment-seeking children ages 8-12 (M = 9.91, SD = 2.31; 64.7% female; 51.7% Black) and their caregivers participated in the study. Rates of symptom agreement were in the low range, and caregivers endorsed higher levels of symptoms than children. Complex trauma was only tied to greater posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) disagreement, with caregivers of complex trauma survivors being more likely to acknowledge higher levels of symptoms than children. CSA was not associated with symptom concordance across difficulties. Aspects of the complex trauma definition were also not linked with symptom agreement. Caregivers and trauma-exposed children may have divergent symptom reports and children who have experienced more severe traumatic events may present with greater discordance for PTSS.

Physical Health Outcomes of Trauma Exposure Across the Lifespan.

Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are established risk factors for poorer physical health. Prior work has focused on childhood adversities and PTSS in relation to physical health conditions, but trauma exposure over the lifespan has been overlooked. Further, the associations between trauma and PTSS and other physical health markers, such as diet and exercise, are less clear. Very little is known regarding how different trauma types (i.e., interpersonal, non-interpersonal), may be tied to aspects of physical health. To expand this area of research, this study aimed to: (a) examine the links between cumulative trauma and PTSS, and body mass index (BMI), diet, and exercise; and (b) investigate the relations between interpersonal and non-interpersonal trauma and these three health indices, while controlling for PTSS. Participants were 493 Midwestern University students (Mage = 23.87, standard deviation [SD] = 6.90, range = 18-63; 79.3% female; 57.4% White). Cumulative trauma corresponded with higher BMIs and less exercise use (B = 0.10; B = -0.09), while PTSS were unrelated. Conversely, PTSS were tied to greater consumption of added sugars (B = 0.11), and cumulative trauma was not linked with diet. Interpersonal and non-interpersonal traumas were not tied to BMI or exercise, although interpersonal trauma and PTSS were linked with greater sugar intake and non-interpersonal trauma was associated with fruit and vegetable consumption. Trauma exposure and PTSS may have complicated and distinct associations with physical health indices, such as BMI, diet, and exercise, and additional research is needed to further parse out these relations.

Multidimensional self-esteem as a mediator of the relationship between sports participation and victimization: a study of African American girls.

The purpose of this study that focused on African American high school girls was threefold. First, the relationship of sports participation and victimization was explored. Second, the impact of sports participation on self-esteem was assessed. Third, the role of self-esteem and its disaggregated components (social acceptance, competence, and self-confidence) as mediators of the relationship between sports participation and victimization was examined. In accordance with the sport protection hypothesis, it was hypothesized that sports participation would be related to enhanced self-esteem and reduce victimization. Results suggest that sports participation appears to have some relationship to lower rates of victimization. There was also support for our assertion that sports participation was related to enhanced self-esteem. Finally, overall self-esteem and, specifically, the individual component competence mediated the relationship between sports participation and victimization.