Grief tending through the wilderness: toward a poetic consciousness for adult survivors of childhood trauma

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Iris J. Gildea
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Adult Survivors

scholarly journals Musical Engagement is Linked to Posttraumatic Resilience: The Role of Gender, Personality, and Music Listening Styles After Childhood Trauma

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 205920432199373
Author(s):  
Nora Rosenberg ◽  
David M. Greenberg ◽  
Michael E. Lamb
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Coping Styles ◽  
Adult Survivors ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Music Listening ◽  
Affective Engagement ◽  
Musical Engagement

Previous research on the links between music and posttraumatic resilience have typically relied on small sample sizes and case studies from clinical settings. To address this important gap, we conducted an online study to measure childhood trauma and adult musical engagement in everyday life in non-clinical contexts. The present study ( N = 634) investigated these links by administering online questionnaires about musical engagement, personality, and demographics to adult survivors of childhood trauma. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that social music listening predicted increased well-being in males while affective music listening predicted decreased well-being in males. Gender moderated the interaction between affective engagement and well-being: affective engagement was linked to increased well-being in females and a decrease in males. Furthermore, neuroticism moderated the interaction between narrative listening and well-being: narrative listening was linked to increased well-being for participants with low neuroticism and a decrease for those with high neuroticism. These findings may reflect general gender differences in coping styles: emotional reflection for females and emotional distraction for males, and suggest gender differences in attentional biases, rumination, and capacities for disassociation. Taken together, the results show that there are individual differences in musical engagement and posttraumatic resilience based on gender and personality. These findings are useful for the development of music-based coping strategies that mental health professionals can tailor for individual clients.

scholarly journals Childhood Trauma and Adult Psychological Adjustment: Resilience in Older Adult Survivors of Institutional Abuse

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 465-466
Author(s):  
Shauna Mc Gee ◽  
Andreas Maercker ◽  
Alan Carr ◽  
Myriam Thoma
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Collective Identity ◽  
Belief Systems ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Adult Survivors ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Institutional Abuse

Abstract Several international cohorts of older adults share past experiences of welfare-related adversity. In Ireland, reports of childhood maltreatment, neglect, and abuse within institutional welfare settings included a harsh regime, childhood labour, and physical and sexual assault. Preliminary research with these Irish survivors revealed a high prevalence of psychological disorders in adulthood. A pathological perspective of aging is often applied to such older adults, due to the long-term health consequences associated with childhood trauma. However, little is known about later life resilience or resilience mechanisms in this population. Therefore, using conceptual models of resilience, this qualitative study aimed to investigate factors associated with resilience in older adult survivors of childhood institutional abuse. Participants were 17 Irish older adults, 50-77 years of age, with experiences of childhood abuse in institutional care settings. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, lasting 60-120 minutes. Transcribed interviews were analysed using the Framework Analysis method. Nine themes were derived from the data, including core, internal, and external resilience factors: Individual characteristics, personality characteristics, support systems, goal attainment, adaptive belief systems, processing, influential events and experiences, recognition and collective identity, and access to services. Results suggest that resilience can be understood not only as an inherent trait, but also as a learnable set of behaviours, thoughts, and attitudes, which can be supported by external resources in an older adults’ environment. The identification of personal and contextual factors underpinning resilience in older adults with trauma experiences may help foster a more positive, strengths-based approach to aging in psychological research and practice.

Childhood Trauma, Social Networks, and the Mental Health of Adult Survivors

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 1492-1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. David Schneider ◽  
Cynthia A. Loveland Cook ◽  
Joanne Salas ◽  
Jeffrey Scherrer ◽  
Ivy N. Cleveland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Networks ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Adult Survivors ◽  
Verbal Abuse ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of childhood trauma to the quality of social networks and health outcomes later in adulthood. Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 254 adults seen in one of 10 primary care clinics in the state of Texas. Standardized measures of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), stressful and supportive social relationships, medical conditions, anxiety, depression, and health-related quality of life were administered. Using latent class analysis, subjects were assigned to one of four ACE classes: (a) minimal childhood abuse (56%), (b) physical/verbal abuse of both child and mother with household alcohol abuse (13%), (c) verbal and physical abuse of child with household mental illness (12%), and (d) verbal abuse only (19%). Statistically significant differences across the four ACE classes were found for mental health outcomes in adulthood. Although respondents who were physically and verbally abused as children reported compromised mental health, this was particularly true for those who witnessed physical abuse of their mother. A similar relationship between ACE class and physical health was not found. The quality of adult social networks partly accounted for the relationship between ACE classes and mental health outcomes. Respondents exposed to ACEs with more supportive social networks as adults had diminished odds of reporting poor mental health. Conversely, increasing numbers of stressful social relationships contributed to adverse mental health outcomes. Although efforts to prevent childhood trauma remain a critical priority, the treatment of adult survivors needs to expand its focus on both strengthening social networks and decreasing the negative effects of stressful ones.

Treatment of Depressive Symptoms in Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma

2007 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin R. Kraftcheck ◽  
Robert T. Muller ◽  
David C. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Childhood Trauma ◽  
Adult Survivors
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