External locus-of-control partially mediates the association between cumulative trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms among adolescents from diverse background

Background and Objectives: Locus of control (LOC) is a modifiable mediator of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among traumatized individuals and a potential target of intervention. Compared with studies involving adults, the potential mediation effect of LOC on PTSD symptoms among trauma-exposed children and adolescents is relatively under-explored. This study, therefore, assessed the mediation effects of LOC on the association between lifetime cumulative trauma and PTSD symptoms among a large cohort of adolescents from different cultural background. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: LOC was determined using the Multi-Dimension Locus of Control Scale; Posttraumatic stress symptoms using the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index; and other significant negative life events using the Life Events Checklist. Results: Among 3826 adolescents who completed the study, external LOC explained 24% of variance (R 2 =.24; F2,3823 = 619.01; p <.01) in PTSD symptoms and had significant indirect effect on the relationship between self-reported cumulative traumatic event exposure and PTSD symptoms (ß =.14; 95% BC CI [.10,.20]). Moderated mediation results showed significant potentiation of the moderation effects among older adolescents; boys; and those from more affluent families. Conclusions: The study further strengthened the hitherto limited evidence that external LOC partially mediate the relationship between cumulative trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms among adolescents

Locus of control, negative live events and psychopathological symptoms in collectivist adolescents

Current research trend is the identification of psychosocial variables that moderate and/or mediate the association between stressors and psychopathological symptoms. Research has shown Locus of Control (LoC) is a key cognitive component of this psychological process in adolescents from individualist cultures. It is unclear whether this finding can be generalized to collectivist adolescents given that LoC is argued to be a culturally relative construct. The study examined the moderating and mediating effects of LoC on the relationship between negative events and psychopathological symptoms (anxiety and depressive symptoms) in adolescents from collectivist countries (n = 2800). Consistent with prior research, negative life events and external LoC were associated with more psychopathological symptoms. Unlike past studies with samples from individualist countries, the study did not produce clear evidence that LoC moderated or mediated this relationship. Results are discussed in terms of cultural differences in the (un)desirability of external control

UCLA DSM-5PTSD 反应指数（PTSD-RI-5）：对来自11个国家的社区青少年样本进行心理测量研究

This article is published under a CC-BY-NC licence.Background: Children and adolescents are often exposed to traumatic events, which may lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is therefore important for clinicians to screen for potential symptoms that can be signs of PTSD onset. PTSD in youth is a worldwide problem, thus congruent screening tools in various languages are needed. Objective: The aim of this study was to test the general psychometric properties of the Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index for children and adolescents (UCLA PTSD) Reaction Index for DSM-5 (PTSD-RI-5) in adolescents, a self-report instrument intended to screen for trauma exposure and assess PTSD symptoms. Method: Data was collected from 4201 adolescents in communities within eleven countries worldwide (i.e. Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Indonesia, Montenegro, Nigeria, Palestine-Gaza, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, and Serbia). Internal consistency, discriminant validity, and a confirmatory factor analysis of a four-factor model representing the main DSM-5 symptoms of the PTSD-RI-5 were evaluated. Results: The PTSD-RI-5 total score for the entire sample shows very good reliability (α = .92) as well as across all countries included (α ranged from .90 to .94). The correlations between anxiety/depressive symptoms and the PTSD-RI-5 scores were below .70 indicating on good discriminant validity. The four-factor structure of the scale was confirmed for the total sample and data from six countries. The standardized regression weights for all items varied markedly across the countries. The lack of a common acceptable model across all countries prevented us from direct testing of cross-cultural measurement invariance. Conclusions: The four-factor structure of the PTSD-RI-5 likely represents the core PTSD symptoms as proposed by the DSM-5 criteria, but there could be items interpreted in a conceptually different manner by adolescents from different cultural/regional backgrounds and future cross-cultural evaluations need to consider this finding