Characterizing Trauma in a Community Sample : How Trauma Symptoms are Related to Problem Behaviors

Exposure to trauma can lead to an array of maladaptive behaviors and an extensive range of physical, emotional, and psychological difficulties. In fact, researchers have linked trauma to the development of debilitating symptoms such as anxiety (Suliman et ah, 2009), psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (Read, van Os, Morrison, & Ross, 2005) and risky behaviors such as substance abuse (Danielson et ah, 2009). Unfortunately, studies examining the consequences of trauma often do so using clinical samples, limiting the generalizability of those results. Thus, the current study sought to characterize trauma in a community sample. Data analyzed for the present study was derived from a larger study assessing psychological functioning across the lifespan. Participants included 143 adult men and women ages 18 to 58- years old. Consistent with the hypothesis, significant results revealed that participants diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder had higher trauma scores than participants without a psychiatric disorder. Moreover, participants with higher trauma scores were significantly more likely to report greater levels of depressive symptomatology, internalizing problems and externalizing problems. Interestingly, higher trauma scores were also associated with heavy drinking but were not associated with illicit drug use or risky sexual activities

Associations between child maltreatment types and past month substance use among emerging adults: The role of self-reported alexithymia and impulsivity

Child maltreatment has emerged as an important risk factor for substance use. However, despite evidence consistently demonstrating that substance use peaks during emerging adulthood, less is known about the specificity of maltreatment effects on substance use during this critical developmental period. Further, the factors that might play a role in these associations are not well understood. The current study examined the associations between child maltreatment types (i.e., physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and emotional neglect) and past month marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco use among emerging adults, and tested whether levels of alexithymia and impulsivity accounted for these associations. Participants were 500 emerging adults ranging in age between 18 and 25 years old (M = 18.96, SD = 1.22, 49.6% male). Tests of indirect effects suggested that associations between emotional abuse and past month marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco use were accounted for by impulsivity. Levels of alexithymia, however, did not account for any associations between the child maltreatment and substance use types. Current findings provide further support for impulsivity as a mechanism linking childhood emotional abuse to substance use among emerging adults, highlighting the need for targeted screening and intervention

Measurement of Behavioral and Emotional Outcomes of Youth in Foster Care: Investigation of the Roles of Age and Placement Type

The Behavioral Assessment System for Children–2 (BASC-2) is used to assess behavioral and emotional outcomes for youth. Research providing evidence for use of the BASC-2 parent-report form historically has included biological parents reporting on their children (Reynolds and Kamphaus 2004). For youth residing in out-of-home placements through enrollment in foster care, caregivers reporting on their functioning may include foster parents or residential staff. Given the significant adverse mental health outcomes for youth in foster care and the need to adequately assess adjustment in foster care, the purpose of the study was to evaluate the measurement properties of caregivers’ report on the parent report form (PRS) of the BASC-2 in foster care youth. Using 479 respondents, a measurement model was fit to the data demonstrating adequate fit across Internalizing Problems, Externalizing Problems, and Adaptive Skills. Further, a comparison of measurement properties across child and adolescent groups and groups of youth residing in residential facilities versus foster homes was conducted. Factorial invariance and latent means also were assessed. The BASC-2 PRS was found to be an adequate assessment of psychological outcomes for youth in foster care when completed by foster parents or residential facility staff

Links Between Stressful Life Events and Proactive and Reactive Functions of Aggression

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma on June 01, 2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10926771.2017.1322658.Recently, more attention has been devoted to understanding how stressful life events might relate to proactive and reactive aggression. Findings suggest that stressful life events are more strongly linked to reactive, than proactive, aggression; however, it is unclear whether the impact of stressful life events on proactive and reactive aggression might vary as a function of the level of exposure to or type of stressful life event. The current study examined how level of exposure to stressful life events (i.e., witnessed, experienced, and learned about) and stressful life event types (i.e., war zone exposure, sexual victimization, interpersonal violence, and other trauma exposure) related to proactive and reactive aggression. The sample was comprised of 500 undergraduate students (M = 18.96, SD = 1.22, 49.6% male) recruited from a Midwestern university. Findings indicated that all three levels of stressful life event exposure (i.e., experienced, witnesses, and learned) were associated with reactive aggression; however, only witnessed stressful life events were associated with proactive aggression. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed

The Role of Hostile Attributions in the Associations between Child Maltreatment and Reactive and Proactive Aggression

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma on October 8th, 2016, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10926771.2016.1231148.The present study examined the relations between child maltreatment and reactive and proactive functions of aggression, and whether hostile attribution biases partially accounted for these associations in a sample of 339 college students (mean age = 19; 51% male). Child maltreatment was associated with reactive, but not proactive, aggression, and instrumental hostile attribution biases accounted for this association. Relational hostile attributions were correlated with both reactive and proactive aggression, but did not play a role in the link between child maltreatment and reactive aggression

Sex-Dimorphic Interactions of MAOA Genotype and Child Maltreatment Predispose College Students to Polysubstance Use

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Polysubstance use (PSU) is highly prevalent among college students. Recent evidence indicates that PSU is based on gene x environment (G×E) interactions, yet the specific biosocial factors underlying this problem remain elusive. We recently reported that lifetime use of tobacco and cannabis in college students is influenced by the interaction of the X-linked MAOA (monoamine oxidase A) gene and child maltreatment. Building on these premises, here we evaluated whether the same G×E interaction may also predict PSU in this population. Students of a large Midwestern university (n = 470; 50.9% females) took part in a computer survey for substance use, as well as childhood trauma exposure, using the Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). DNA was extracted from their saliva samples and genotyped for MAOA variable-number of tandem repeat (VNTR) variants. Findings indicated that the highest number of substances were used by male students harboring low-activity MAOA alleles with a history of childhood emotional abuse. In contrast, female homozygous high-activity MAOA carriers with a history of emotional and physical abuse reported consumption of the greatest number of substances. Our results indicate that PSU among college students is influenced by the interaction of MAOA and child maltreatment in a sex-specific fashion. Further studies are warranted to understand the mechanisms of sex differences in the biosocial interplays underlying PSU in this at-risk group

Tobacco and cannabis use in college students are predicted by sex‐dimorphic interactions between MAOA genotype and child abuse

Background Postsecondary students in Western countries exhibit a high prevalence of cannabis and tobacco use disorders. The etiology of these problems is contributed by several psychosocial factors, including childhood adversity and trauma; however, the mechanisms whereby these environmental determinants predispose to the use of these substances remain elusive, due to our poor knowledge of genetic and biological moderators. Converging evidence points to the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene as a moderator of the effects of lifetime stress on the initiation of substance use. Aims Building on these premises, in this study, we analyzed whether MAOA upstream variable number tandem repeat (uVNTR) alleles interact with child maltreatment history to predict for lifetime cannabis and tobacco consumption. Materials and methods Five hundred college students (age: 18–25 years) from a large Midwestern University were surveyed for their child maltreatment history (encompassing emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as emotional and physical neglect) and lifetime consumption of cannabis and tobacco. Saliva samples were obtained to determine the MAOA uVNTR genotype of each participant. Results In female students, lifetime tobacco and cannabis use was predicted by the interaction of physical and emotional abuse with high‐activity MAOA allelic variants; conversely, in males, the interaction of low‐activity MAOA alleles and physical abuse was associated with lifetime use of tobacco, but not cannabis. Discussion These findings collectively suggest that the vulnerability to smoke tobacco and cannabis is predicted by sex‐dimorphic interactions of MAOA gene with childhood abuse. Conclusion These biosocial underpinnings of tobacco and cannabis use may prove important in the development of novel personalized preventive strategies for substance use disorders in adolescents