Attachment as a mediator between community violence and posttraumatic stress symptoms among adolescents with a history of maltreatment

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa J. London ◽  
Michelle M. Lilly ◽  
Laura Pittman
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Community Violence ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
History Of

scholarly journals Using Psychedelics With Therapeutic Intent Is Associated With Lower Shame and Complex Trauma Symptoms in Adults With Histories of Child Maltreatment

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 247054702110298
Author(s):  
C. J. Healy ◽  
Kellie Ann Lee ◽  
Wendy D’Andrea
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Child Maltreatment ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Complex Trauma ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms ◽  
Trauma Symptoms ◽  
Internalized Shame ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
History Of

Background Child maltreatment negatively affects the formation of internal schemata of self and other during development, leading to negative adaptations in self-concept and social cognition. Clinical reports suggest the efficacy of psychedelics in treating the psychopathological sequelae of child maltreatment. Altering maladaptive schemata of self and other implicated in negative self-concept and impaired social cognition may be a central mechanism for reducing posttraumatic stress symptoms. Aims This study aims to assess whether psychedelic use moderates the relationships between child maltreatment and self-concept, social cognition, and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Method An online survey was completed by 166 participants and included measures of maltreatment exposure and severity, history of intentional therapeutic psychedelic use, posttraumatic stress symptoms, internalized shame, and facial emotion recognition. Results Child maltreatment significantly correlated with posttraumatic stress symptoms ( r = .26 and r = .20, p < .01) and internalized shame ( r = .18, p < .05). Of all maltreatment subtypes, emotional abuse and neglect most strongly correlated with complex trauma symptoms ( r = .32, p < .001) and internalized shame ( r = .31, p < .001). Participants with a history of intentional therapeutic psychedelic use reported significantly lower complex trauma symptoms ( d = 0.33, p < .05) and internalized shame ( d = 0.35, p < .05) despite similar histories of maltreatment. Differences in complex trauma symptoms ( d = 0.66, p < .01) and internalized shame ( d = 0.80, p < .001) were largest for participants with a history of more than 5 occasions of intentional therapeutic psychedelic use. A history of more than 5 occasions of intentional therapeutic psychedelic use significantly moderated the relationship between emotional abuse and neglect and complex trauma symptoms (p < .01). No associations were found between maltreatment or psychedelic use and facial emotion recognition. Conclusion These findings demonstrate that using psychedelic drugs with therapeutic intent is associated with lower levels of complex trauma symptoms and internalized shame in individuals with histories of child maltreatment. Psychedelic use may have therapeutic benefit in treating the posttraumatic sequelae of child maltreatment.

scholarly journals Longitudinal association between infant disorganized attachment and childhood posttraumatic stress symptoms

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 493-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Z. MacDonald ◽  
Marjorie Beeghly ◽  
Wanda Grant-Knight ◽  
Marilyn Augustyn ◽  
Ryan W. Woods ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms ◽  
Disorganized Attachment ◽  
Clinical Psychologist ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
History Of

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate whether children with a history of disorganized attachment in infancy were more likely than children without a history of disorganized attachment to exhibit symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at school age following trauma exposure. The sample consisted of 78 8.5-year-old children from a larger, ongoing prospective study evaluating the effects of intrauterine cocaine exposure (IUCE) on children's growth and development from birth to adolescence. At the 12-month visit, children's attachment status was scored from videotapes of infant–caregiver dyads in Ainsworth's strange situation. At the 8.5-year visit, children were administered the Violence Exposure Scale—Revised, a child-report trauma exposure inventory, and the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents by an experienced clinical psychologist masked to children's attachment status and IUCE status. Sixteen of the 78 children (21%) were classified as insecure–disorganized/insecure–other at 12 months. Poisson regressions covarying IUCE, gender, and continuity of maternal care indicated that disorganized attachment status at 12 months, compared with nondisorganized attachment status, significantly predicted both higher avoidance cluster PTSD symptoms and higher reexperiencing cluster PTSD symptoms. These findings suggest that the quality of early dyadic relationships may be linked to differences in children's later development of posttraumatic stress symptoms following a traumatic event.

scholarly journals Longitudinal association between infant disorganized attachment and childhood posttraumatic stress symptoms

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1351-1351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Z. Macdonald ◽  
Marjorie Beeghly ◽  
Wanda Grant-Knight ◽  
Marilyn Augustyn ◽  
Ryan W. Woods ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Trauma Exposure ◽  
Diagnostic Interview ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms ◽  
Disorganized Attachment ◽  
Clinical Psychologist ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Stress Symptoms ◽  
History Of

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to evaluate whether children with a history of disorganized attachment in infancy were more likely than children without a history of disorganized attachment to exhibit symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at school age following trauma exposure. The sample consisted of 78 8.5-year-old children from a larger, ongoing prospective study evaluating the effects of intrauterine cocaine exposure (IUCE) on children's growth and development from birth to adolescence. At the 12-month visit, children's attachment status was scored from videotapes of infant–caregiver dyads in Ainsworth's strange situation. At the 8.5-year visit, children were administered the Violence Exposure Scale—Revised, a child-report trauma exposure inventory, and the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents by an experienced clinical psychologist masked to children's attachment status and IUCE status. Sixteen of the 78 children (21%) were classified as insecure–disorganized/insecure–other at 12 months. Poisson regressions covarying IUCE, gender, and continuity of maternal care indicated that disorganized attachment status at 12 months, compared with nondisorganized attachment status, significantly predicted both higher avoidance cluster PTSD symptoms and higher reexperiencing cluster PTSD symptoms. These findings suggest that the quality of early dyadic relationships may be linked to differences in children's later development of posttraumatic stress symptoms following a traumatic event.

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