Attachment Mediates the Childhood Maltreatment–Daily Hassles Link in Low-Income,Suicidal African American Women

This study examined if attachment patterns mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and total daily and interpersonally oriented life hassles in 135 low-income, inner-city, suicidal African American women. Participants completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, attachment styles, and daily life hassles dimensions. Bootstrapping analyses revealed that (a) negative views of self mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and social and cultural difficulties and social acceptability; and (b) negative views of other mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and total daily life hassles, social victimization, and social and cultural difficulties. These findings can inform interventions for suicidal African American women with a history of childhood maltreatment and subsequent maladaptive attachment styles.     

Child Maltreatment in DSM‐5 and ICD‐11

Child maltreatment is widespread and has a tremendous impact on child victims and their families. Over the past decade, definitions of child maltreatment have been developed that are operationalized, face valid, and can be reliably applied in clinical settings. These definitions have informed the revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) and are being considered for the International Classification of Disease–11 (World Health Organization). Now that these definitions are available in major diagnostic systems, primary healthcare providers and clinicians who see children and families are poised to help screen for, identify, prevent, and treat child maltreatment. This article reviews the definitions of maltreatment in these diagnostic systems, along with assessment and screening tools, and empirically supported prevention and intervention approaches.     

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS FOR STUDYING FEMALE MARRIAGE MIGRANTS

Transnational marriages account for a significant proportion of family-based immigration to North America. An increasing number of immigrant men are choosing to marry women from their countries of origin, and an increasing number of nonimmigrant men are choosing to marry women from other countries. Existing studies on the experiences of foreign brides entering North America have highlighted their vulnerability to spousal maltreatment, including unique forms of immigration abuse (e.g., threats of deportation). Their vulnerability to maltreatment has been attributed to the gender-insensitive nature of family immigration policies, the women's lack of awareness of their rights and immigration status, and their husbands' cultural beliefs about women's roles. This article describes three interrelated theoretical frameworks that can inform further research, practice, and policy development related to female marriage migrants. The frameworks draw on cross-cultural models of gender-based violence, seminal work on the psychology of women, and international human rights research.     

Childhood Maltreatment and PTSD: Spiritual Well-Being and Intimate Partner Violence as Mediators

Childhood maltreatment places individuals, including African American women who are undereducated and economically disadvantaged, at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants were 192 African American women with a history in the prior year of both a suicide attempt and intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure. They were recruited from a public hospital that provides medical and mental health treatment to mostly low-income patients. A simple mediator model was used to examine if (a) existential well-being (sense of purpose) or religious well-being (relationship with God) mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and adult PTSD symptoms. Sequential multiple mediator models determined if physical and nonphysical IPV enhanced our understanding of the mediational association among the aforementioned variables. Findings suggest that existential well-being mediated the association between childhood maltreatment and adult PTSD symptoms in a simple mediator model, and existential well-being and recent nonphysical IPV served as sequential multiple mediators of this link. However, religious well-being and physical IPV were not significant mediators. Findings underscore the importance of enhancing existential well-being in the treatment of suicidal African American women with a history of childhood maltreatment and IPV.     

Psychotropic Medication Patterns in Medicaid-Insured Youth Based on Clinician-Reported Maltreatment Status

The main objective of this study is to explore the relationship of psychotropic medication use patterns and clinician-reported maltreatment status in Medicaid-insured youth. This cross-sectional study analyzed computerized outpatient claims for youth aged 2–17 years who were continuously enrolled for ≥10 months in a mid-Atlantic state Medicaid program in 2006. Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic modeling were employed to assess patterns of any psychotropic drug use, and specifically for antipsychotics, antidepressants, and stimulants by clinician-reported maltreatment status and according to other study covariates. Child maltreatment status was assessed using ICD-9 codes for maltreatment. Other covariates included age group, gender, race/ethnicity, region, Medicaid-eligibility categories, and clinician-reported psychiatric diagnostic groups. Among 274,490 youth, 901 had a clinician-reported child maltreatment indicator for a prevalence of 3.3 per 1,000. These youth were more likely to be older, female, African American, and Medicaid eligible by foster care or disability. Youth with clinician-reported maltreatment compared to youth without identified maltreatment had a significantly higher prevalence of antipsychotic use (14.1 vs. 3.4 %), antidepressant use (12.1 vs. 3.4 %) and stimulant use (15.8 vs. 7.8 %). After adjusting for the study covariates, the odds of antipsychotic use (2.6 [2.0, 3.2]), antidepressant use (2.0 [1.6, 2.6]), and any psychotropic use (1.5 [1.3, 1.9]) were comparatively higher among youth with clinician-reported maltreatment. By contrast, the adjusted-odds of stimulant use was comparable between the groups. The findings from this exploratory study from one state’s Medicaid outpatient data suggest that youth with maltreatment indicators have an increased likelihood of antipsychotic and antidepressant medication dispensings.     

Is elevated risk of child maltreatment in immigrant families associated with socioeconomic status? Evidence from three sources

In this study we tested whether children from Dutch‐immigrant families are at increased risk for maltreatment, and if so, what factors could explain this risk. Three data sources from the second Netherlands Prevalence Study of Maltreatment of Youth (NPM‐2010) were used to answer these questions. First, 1127 professionals from various occupational branches (sentinels) were asked to report each child (including some background information on the child and family) for whom they suspected child maltreatment during a period of three months. Second, we included the 2010 data from the Dutch Child Protective Services and third, 1759 high school students aged 11–17 years filled out a questionnaire on their experiences of maltreatment in the past year. We found that children from traditional immigrant families with a relatively long migration history in the Netherlands (Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, and Antillean) and from nontraditional immigrant families (African [except Morocco], Eastern European, Central Asian, and South and Central American; often refugees) were at increased risk for child maltreatment compared to native Dutch families. However, in the professionals’ and CPS data this risk disappeared for the traditional immigrant families after correction for educational level of the parents and for step‐parenthood. Within the group of families with low education or step‐parents, the risk for child maltreatment was similar for traditional immigrant families as for native Dutch families. Nontraditional families remained at increased risk after correction for sociodemographic and family factors. In conclusion, we found that children from both traditional and nontraditional immigrant families are at increased risk for maltreatment as compared to children from native Dutch families. For the traditional immigrants this risk could partially be explained by socioeconomic status. This implies that socioeconomic factors should be taken into account when outlining policies to fight child maltreatment.     

Psychological MaltreatmentL

SUMMARY

Current issues regarding the definition of psychological maltreatment and its impact on children are discussed. The argument is made that psychological maltreatment can be understood as parenting and socialization practices that leave a child's basic psychological needs unmet, and that children exposed to interparental violence should be viewed as victims of psychological maltreatment. A needs analysis based on developmental theory and research is presented as a context within which to view psychological maltreatment. Using that conceptualization, research findings concerning the behavioral, cognitive, and social-emotional difficulties of children exposed to marital violence are examined. Based on this developmental analysis, recommendations are made regarding research that is needed in the areas of these children and psychological maltreatment.     

Physical maltreatment victim to antisocial child: evidence of an environmentally mediated process

The well-documented finding that child physical maltreatment predicts later antisocial behavior has at least 2 explanations: (a). Physical maltreatment causes antisocial behavior, and (b). genetic factors transmitted from parents to children influence the likelihood that parents will be abusive and that children will engage in antisocial behavior. The authors tested these hypotheses in the representative Environmental-Risk cohort of 1116 twin pairs and their families, who were assessed when the twins were 5 and 7 years old. Mothers reported on children's experience of physical maltreatment, and mothers and teachers reported on children's antisocial behavior. The findings support the hypothesis that physical maltreatment plays a causal role in the development of children's antisocial behavior and that preventing maltreatment can prevent its violent sequelae.     

Developmental considerations for assessment of trauma symptoms in preschoolers: a review of measures and diagnoses

Child maltreatment can lead to a unique set of trauma stress among young children that can be challenging to measure. The purpose of this review was to review measures of maltreatment-related trauma outcomes (trauma-related symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorders) in very young children (ages 0–6) and to examine research trends in how and if child development is accounted for in this area of measurement. A systematic search strategy was used to identify articles in two databases, CINAHL and PsychInfo. Articles were eligible for inclusion in the review if they measured trauma symptoms in children ages 0–6, were quantitative research reports of studies conducted in North America, and were published in English. The search resulted in 74 articles meeting prespecified inclusion criteria. Results suggested that recognition of the ways maltreatment trauma affects child development and the importance of developmental sensitivity in assessing trauma symptoms has grown in recent years. However, many research studies did not use developmental frameworks and applied adult-oriented trauma symptom frameworks in measurement and treatment. Behavioral symptoms were the primary outcome of interest for this age group. There was also incongruity and lack of consensus about diagnostic tools for post-traumatic stress disorders in young children. Further research is needed to resolve theoretical and empirical controversies related to measurement and diagnosis of trauma symptomatology in young children.     

跨文化的实证法学研究：文化心理学的挑战与贡献

跨文化的实证法学研究把文化心理学的理论突破和心理学的实证方法引入到对法学基本原理的研究之中。文化心理学研究中发现的东西方文化在价值定向、道德判断和思维方式等方面的差异能够给跨文化实证法学研究带来重要的启示。在对一些重要法律问题的认识上, 例如法律中的因果关系和责任的判定、合同形成以及纠纷调解等方面, 跨文化心理学研究已经发现了显著的跨文化差异, 这些差异可能会影响到不同文化背景的人对法的认识、法的建设以及法律的应用。我们认为跨文化的实证法学研究不仅可以为法学研究提供一条新的研究路径, 更主要的是还可以为中国法学研究的国际化和国际法律纠纷提供理论指导。     

Impact of Physical Abuse on Internalizing Behavior Across Generations

This study investigated the multigenerational impact of mothers’ own exposure to physical maltreatment on internalizing symptoms in her child after accounting for her parenting practices, depression, and the child’s own exposure to stressful life events. Children (n?=?101, ages 5–16), predominantly African American, were recruited into this cross sectional study using ethnographic mapping and targeted sampling for high-risk neighborhoods. Mothers reported retrospectively on their own exposure to physical maltreatment in childhood, their parenting practices, as well as current depressive symptoms. Maternal report of her child’s exposure to stressful life events and child behavior was also collected. Maternal childhood exposure to physical maltreatment was significantly associated with her child’s internalizing symptoms (p?=?.004); this effect remained after accounting for child sex, maternal depressive symptoms, harsh parenting practices, and the child’s own exposure to stressful life events. Formal tests of mediation through these pathways were non-significant. Findings suggest mothers’ experience of childhood maltreatment contributes uniquely to children’s internalizing symptoms, potentially through previously uncharacterized pathways. Examination of additional behavioral, psychosocial and biological pathways may help better describe the multi-generational effects of child maltreatment.     

儿童心理虐待与抑郁：自动思维的中介作用

目的：运用结构方程模型验证儿童心理虐待、自动思维与抑郁的关系。方法：采用儿童心理虐待量表、自动思维问卷（ATQ）及自评抑郁量表（SDS）,对黑龙江省838名初中生进行调查。结果：儿童心理虐待对自动思维及抑郁有直接影响（β=0.245,β=0.674,均P＜0.001）;自动思维在儿童心理虐待对抑郁的影响中起部分中介作用(Z=51.2,P＜0.01)。结论：自动思维在儿童心理虐待和抑郁之间起中介作用,表明可以从认知方面改善心理虐待初中生的抑郁状态。     

Childhood maltreatment and adult personality disorder symptoms in a non‐clinical sample

It can be argued that the well‐substantiated relationship between childhood maltreatment and adult personality disorder (PD) symptoms may be confounded by comorbid symptoms of depression, anxiety or dysfunctional childhood family environments. Therefore, the current study was designed to test the hypothesis that retrospective reports of childhood maltreatment would still be significantly related to reports of more PD symptoms when statistically controlling for these factors. One hundred and seventy‐eight non‐clinical participants were divided into groups reporting childhood maltreatment (n = 54) or not (n = 124) according to scores on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Participants also completed questionnaires measuring current depression, anxiety, and PD symptoms as well as retrospective reports of their childhood environment. Results showed that individuals reporting childhood maltreatment reported more symptoms of PD than those not reporting childhood maltreatment, even when statistically controlling for depression, anxiety and retrospective reports of dysfunctional family environment. These findings underscore the relevance and independent contribution of childhood maltreatment to the development of PDs, with important implications for further research and clinical practice.     

Prevalence of maltreatment of people with intellectual disabilities: a review of recently published research

Maltreatment can have a profound adverse effect on the health of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). People with ID may also be more likely to experience maltreatment than other groups. Historically, data on prevalence of maltreatment among people with ID have been sparse and methodologically weak but have suggested that the scope of the problem is considerable. Studies published between 1995 and 2005 were reviewed to determine estimated maltreatment prevalence among people with ID based on recent literature. Prevalence estimates for people with ID were compared to estimates for people with no disabilities and people with other types of disabilities. Only five studies provided maltreatment prevalence estimates for people with ID. The limited data suggest that maltreatment is more prevalent for people with ID than for people with no disabilities and may be higher for people with ID than for people with certain other disabilities. Most of the available research is still based on convenience samples. More population-level data are needed to provide reliable estimates of the prevalence of this important health problem.     

The Effect of Maltreatment Type on Adolescent Executive Functioning and Inner Speech

There are indications that different types of maltreatment can lead to different cognitive and behavioural outcomes. This study investigated whether maltreatment type was related to executive functioning (EF) abilities and the use of inner speech. Forty maltreated adolescents and a comparison group of 40 non‐maltreated typically developing adolescents completed a battery of tasks designed to assess both their EF abilities and their vulnerability to disruptions to inner speech. They also completed an IQ test. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and ANCOVA analyses were carried out to examine potential effects of maltreatment type (abuse alone; neglect alone; abuse/neglect combined and no maltreatment) on EF and use of inner speech. Maltreatment type was related to EF abilities. In particular, abuse only and abuse/neglect combined had a greater negative impact on EF than neglect only. However, the neglect alone group was more vulnerable to disruptions to inner speech than the other two maltreatment groups, suggesting that they may be more reliant on the use of inner speech. These findings provide new insights into the differential impact of maltreatment type on EF and the use of inner speech in adolescence and could be used to improve the educational outcomes of these vulnerable young people. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Service Employees’ Reactions to Mistreatment by Customers: A Comparison Between North America and East Asia

The authors proposed that customer service employees’ reactions to mistreatment by customers can vary between North American and East Asian employees due to differences in their cultural values. Customer mistreatment was predicted to be associated with direct, active, and target‐specific reactions (i.e., sabotage directed toward the source of mistreatment) more so among North American employees as compared to East Asian employees. In contrast, customer mistreatment was predicted to relate to more indirect, passive, and target‐general reactions (i.e., withdraw organizational citizenship behavior directed toward customers in general) among employees in East Asia as compared to employees in North America. A field study of customer service employees (N = 213) working in the same hotel chain in China and Canada found support for these predictions. Mediation analyses showed that individualism and collectivism accounted for these differences. Theoretical and practical implications are provided, and future directions are discussed.     

Intergenerational Continuity in Maltreatment

Identification of the causes of child maltreatment perpetration is prerequisite for developing efficacious prevention initiatives to reduce its occurrence. Earlier maltreatment victimization is often suggested as an important cause of subsequent maltreatment perpetration. This study investigates a) whether maltreatment victimization causes subsequent perpetration and b) whether the timing of maltreatment victimization—childhood versus adolescence—alters this relationship. We use data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, a longitudinal study begun in Rochester, New York in 1988, based on a stratified random sample of 1000 seventh and eighth graders. At the most recent followup, 80 % were reinterviewed. Child Protective Services data were collected on substantiated incidents of maltreatment victimization from birth to age 17 and on maltreatment perpetration through average age 33, n?=?816. Using propensity score models to control selection effects, we find that a history of maltreatment victimization significantly increases the odds of becoming a perpetrator of maltreatment. Although childhood-limited maltreatment does not significantly increase the odds of maltreatment perpetration, maltreatment that occurs in adolescence or that begins in childhood and persists into adolescence does. Adolescent maltreatment was found to be more serious in terms of type, chronicity, and severity than childhood-limited maltreatment, offering a possible explanation for this finding. Therefore, maltreatment victimization, especially during adolescence, is a likely cause of subsequent perpetration. Clinical services to interrupt the cycle of maltreatment are needed to protect subsequent generations from experiencing maltreatment and from experiencing the health-risking behaviors that often flow from maltreatment.     

儿童虐待与问题行为：基因与环境的作用

当前预防虐待之所以成为儿童保护的重要内容,不仅是法理上的儿童权益保护,也因虐待关联的基因与环境作用对人发展的长期影响。儿童虐待与问题行为关系复杂,已有研究显示,虐待特征、受害者特点是其关联因素,但其内在机制并不清楚。。随着分子遗传学的兴起,MAOA、COMT、5-HTT等基因为解释儿童虐待与问题行为的机制提供新视角,重要候选基因可能调节这一关系。未来研究可从动物模型和纵向追踪角度去探究儿童虐待与问题行为关系的易感期、保护因子,完善儿童虐待与个体发展关系的研究图谱。     

心理虐待对儿童认知情绪调节策略的影响：人格特质的中介作用

采用儿童认知情绪调节问卷、儿童版艾森克人格问卷、儿童心理虐待量表对405名8～12岁儿童进行研究,考察人格特质在心理虐待对认知情绪调节策略关系中的中介作用。结果发现：(1)儿童心理虐待与不适应性认知情绪调节策略呈显著正相关;儿童神经质与不适应性认知情绪调节策略呈显著正相关儿童内外倾与适应性认知情绪调节策略呈显著正相关(2)儿童神经质在心理虐待与儿童不适应性认知情绪调节策略关系间起到完全中介作用（3）该中介模型具有性别和年龄的测量等值性。研究结果显示,儿童心理虐待可以通过神经质的中介作用影响不适应性认知情绪调节策略。     

儿童期受虐经历与抑郁的元分析

本研究采用元分析技术探讨儿童期虐待亚类型与抑郁的关系。通过文献搜索与检查获得了31项研究和92个独立效应量,共包含24283名被试。元分析表明儿童期虐待亚类型(心理虐待与忽视、性虐待、身体虐待与忽视)对抑郁障碍存在不同程度的影响,其中心理虐待与忽视影响程度最高;另外,被试的年龄、性别可以调节儿童期虐待与抑郁的关系。这些结果表明了在预防和治疗儿童期不良经历对抑郁影响时,尤其要关注心理虐待与忽视的消极影响,且应给予青少年群体、女性更多的关注和保护。