Does defending come with a cost? Examining the psychosocial correlates of defending behaviour among bystanders of bullying in a Canadian sample

Bullying is a form of interpersonal trauma that impacts all parties involved, including the youth who witness the bullying. Some bystanders choose to intervene and defend the child being bullied. Defending may be positively associated with psychosocial difficulties because youth are becoming more involved in a traumatic event, or because youth may be actively coping with the distress elicited from witnessing bullying; however, the link between defending and psychosocial difficulties has not yet been examined. The current study investigated the age-related differences and psychosocial difficulties associated with defending behaviour in school bullying. Data were collected from 5071 Canadian youth from Grades 4–12. Participants completed an online survey at school, which assessed demographic information, recent defending behaviour, location and frequency of witnessing bullying, and psychosocial difficulties (internalizing, anger, psychosomatic, academic, and relationship difficulties). A subsample of 1443 pure bystanders (no current bullying involvement) was used for regression analyses. Defending behaviour was more common among girls and among younger students. For boys, defending behaviour was associated with more psychosocial difficulties compared to boys who only witnessed the bullying. This relationship was less consistent for girls. Defending behaviour was also associated with more psychosocial difficulties at high levels of bullying exposure. These associations suggest that defending may come at a cost for youth, or that youth are defending their peers to cope with negative emotions associated with witnessing interpersonal trauma. More longitudinal research is needed to clarify these associations.     

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) among undergraduates and depressive patients

ObjectiveThe Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) is a self-report questionnaire that retrospectively provides screening for a history of childhood abuse and neglect, and which is widely used throughout the world. The current study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the CTQ-SF.MethodsParticipants included 3431 undergraduates from Hunan provinces and 234 depressive patients from psychological clinics. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine how well the original five-factor model fit the data and the measurement equivalence of CTQ-SF across gender. Internal consistency was also evaluated.ResultsThe five-factor model achieved satisfactory fit (Undergraduate sample TLI = 0.925, CFI = 0.936, RMSEA = 0.034, SRMR = 0.046; depressive sample TLI = 0.912, CFI = 0.923, RMSEA = 0.044, SRMR = 0.062). Measurement invariance of the five-factor model across gender was supported fully assuming different degrees of invariance. The CTQ-SF also showed acceptable internal consistency and good stability.ConclusionThe current study provides that the Chinese version of the Childhood Trauma questionnaire-short form has good reliability and validity among Chinese undergraduates and depressive samples, which also indicates that the CTQ-SF is a good tool for child trauma assessment.     

创伤理论下的《五号屠场》解读

库尔特·冯内古特是美国当代文坛最有影响力的后现代主义小说家之一。其代表作《五号屠场》因其艺术上的突出个性及显著成就而令他获得大众及评论界的广泛称赞,并由此奠定其在美国文学史的地位。基于冯内古特在第二次世界大战中的亲身经历,《五号屠场》通过非线性叙述的方法讲述了比利·皮尔格里姆在遭遇二战和德累斯顿大轰炸后如何在这个金钱至上的物质社会中生活及最终通过时间旅行和奇异想象来逃避现实的故事。文章旨在采用创伤理论的视角并结合文本细读来分析小说中叙述者,比利及整个国家的创伤及愈合,通过残酷战争迫害人性的事实,来表达反战思想,批判美国二战后的利益至上的社会现状,显示人类屈从于荒诞世界却又不乏改良希望的矛盾心理。     

The child sexual behavior inventory: Reliability and validity in a Dutch normative and clinical sample

BackgroundThe Child Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI) is one of the few instruments available to assess sexual behavior in children. Because of cross-cultural differences in the definition of normal and atypical sexual behaviors, the CSBI is not generalizable to other countries.ObjectiveThe current study examined psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the CSBI.Participants and settingThe study represents 3206 children from a normative sample, and 932 children from clinical samples.MethodsParents ratings on the CSBI, and questionnaires for psychosocial problems were obtained to assess psychometric properties.ResultsResults showed that Dutch parents interpret more CSBI items as developmentally appropriate than USA parents. Reliability coefficients indicated internal consistency (α = .39–.82), test-retest (r = .86, p < .000) and interrater reliability (Cohen's d =0.47, p >.05). Positive correlations between the CSBI total scale and the subscales demonstrated content validity (r = .32–.96, p < .01). Differences between normative and clinical samples on the CSBI total (ηp² = .01–.65, p < .000), DRSB (ηp² = .00–.03, p = .00–.38) and SASI scales (ηp² =.00–.18, p < .01) indicated construct validity. Within the clinical samples, highest associations were found between the CSBI score and convergent measures (r = .64, p < .000). Lowest associations were found between the CSBI scores and divergent measures r = .14–.54, p = n.s.−<.000.ConclusionsCross-cultural differences in the perception of developmental appropriate sexual behavior underscore the importance of country-specific normative data. Good psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the CSBI were supported by this study.     

Exposure to intimate partner violence and internalizing symptoms: The moderating effects of positive relationships with pets and animal cruelty exposure

BackgroundIt is estimated that more than half of children living in households where intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs are also exposed to animal cruelty (AC). Although prior research links bonds with pets with higher levels of socioemotional competence among school-age children, exposure to AC may negate the protective effects of pet ownership and/or exacerbate the potentially deleterious effect of IPV on children’s mental health.ObjectiveThe current study evaluates whether and to what extent the associations between exposure to IPV and several indicators of children’s mental health vary as a function of children’s positive engagement with pets and exposure to AC.Participants and SettingParticipants included 204 children (aged 7–12 years; 47% female; 57% Latinx) and their maternal caregiver who were recruited from domestic violence agencies in a western U.S. state.MethodMultiple moderation analysis evaluated whether the association between children’s exposure to IPV and internalizing and posttraumatic stress symptoms vary as a function of children’s positive engagement with pets and exposure to AC.ResultsAnalyses revealed several moderation effects for positive engagement with pets (e.g., internalizing problems: [b = −.15, t(195) = −2.66, p = .008]; posttraumatic stress symptoms: [b = −.13, t(195) = −2.24, p = .026]), whereas exposure to AC only moderated the association between IPV and anxious/depressed symptoms (b = .32, t(195) = −2.41, p = .017).ConclusionsThese findings highlight the potential protective effects of positive engagement with pets and importance of screening for exposure to AC when engaging in trauma-informed work with children exposed to IPV.     

Abuse disclosures of youth with problem sexualized behaviors and trauma symptomology

BackgroundThe majority of youth with problem sexualized behaviors (PSB) have substantiated experiences of abuse or exposures to violence (Silovsky & Niec, 2002). Little is known about specific abuse experiences that may differentiate youth with PSB from those without. Few studies have examined the types of abuse associated with post-traumatic stress symptomology.ObjectiveThe current study explored two research questions: (1) Do children with PSB differ from children without PSB in terms of their abuse disclosures?; and (2) Are the types of abuse disclosed associated with the child’s scores on a post-traumatic stress measure?.Participants & settingData were analyzed for youth (N = 950) ages 3–18 years who completed a clinical assessment at a child advocacy center in the Midwest during the 2015 calendar year.MethodsYouth completed assessments that included a forensic interview and either the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) for children ages 3–10 years, or the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) for children ages 11–16 years. Bivariate logistic regression was used to answer the research questions.ResultsFindings indicated that youths who disclosed offender to victim fondling were less likely to disclose PSB (OR = 0.460, p = .026), and children exposed to pornography were more likely to disclose PSB (OR = 3.252, p = .001). Additionally, youth who disclosed physical abuse (OR = 1.678, p = .001) or victim to offender sexual contact (OR = 2.242, p = .003) had higher odds of clinically significant trauma scores.ConclusionsImplications for practitioners and future research directions are discussed.     

The grip of trauma: How trauma disrupts the academic aspirations of foster youth

The academic challenges foster youth encounter during their P-12 education have been widely reported. Yet, despite these challenges, the majority of foster youth desire postsecondary education. What is less known is the reason why so few foster youth alumni who desire a four-year college degree, achieve this goal. For the participants in this four-year longitudinal study, maltreatment, resulting in foster care placement, and the ensuing exposure to the foster care system, resulted in trauma histories and mental health diagnoses. Anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), were the most common diagnosis. The participants shared the ways in which these mental health challenges manifested throughout their college education. Of those in the study, almost half successfully graduated from college, a third dropped out, and only two remain enrolled. This study provides a unique and critical insight into the experiences of foster youth, enrolled in a four-year university, by sharing their stories     

创伤性情感、历史性叙事和抒情性表现——对于托尼·莫里森小说《娇女》的新诠释

对美国作家托尼·莫里森的代表作<娇女>,国内外学者的研究兴趣一直很浓.本论文以相关研究成果为基础,试图比较透彻地探讨<娇女>的情感主题以及该主题与历史性叙事和抒情性表现的关系.本论文提出,小说既探索了小说人物个人的历史,也通过讽喻的方式探讨了种族、群体的历史;小说的书写和阅读还揭示了与过去的创伤性经历达致妥协的过程.本论文还结合中国古典文学来讨论小说的创伤主题(内容)与"诗-画文本"(形式);论文进一步提出,作者正是借助诗画文本来充分地书写/抒写小说人物在特定历史环境中的创伤性经历和情感.在进行这样的分析的过程中,本论文比较谨慎地借鉴了西方的精神分析理论,以求从理论上较好地透视一种独特的情感经验.     

Victimization and adversity among children experiencing war-related parental absence or deployment in a nationally representative US sample

This study compares children and youth who have experienced lifetime war-related parental absence or deployment with those having no such history on a variety of victimization types, non-victimization adversity, trauma symptoms, and delinquency; and assesses whether cumulative adversity and victimization help to explain elevated emotional and behavioral problems among children of parents who have experienced war-related absence or deployment. The National Surveys of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV) are comprised of three cross-sectional telephone surveys conducted in 2008, 2011, and 2014. Data were collected on the experiences of children aged one month to seventeen years. In each survey, interviews were conducted with youth 10–17 years old and with caregivers of children 0–9 years old. The analyses use pooled data from all three U.S. nationally-representative samples (total sample size of 13,052). Lifetime parental war-related absence or deployment was a marker for elevated childhood exposure to a wide array of victimization and adversity types. Cumulative past year exposure to multiple forms of victimization and adversity fully explained elevated trauma symptoms and delinquency in this population of children. Given the breadth of victimization and adversity risk, children with histories of parental war-related absence or deployment, as well as their families, represent important target groups for broad-based prevention and interventions to reduce exposure and ameliorate consequences when it does occur.     

Assessment for self-blame and trauma symptoms during the medical evaluation of suspected sexual abuse

The purpose of this study was to describe behavioural and emotional symptoms and to examine the effect of abuse-related factors, family responses to disclosure, and child self-blame on these symptoms in children presenting for medical evaluations after disclosure of sexual abuse. A retrospective review was conducted of 501 children ages 8–17. Trauma symptoms were determined by two sets of qualitative measures. Abstracted data included gender, ethnicity, and age; severity of abuse and abuser relationship to child; child responses regarding difficulty with sleep, school, appetite/weight, sadness, or self-harm, parent belief in abuse disclosure, and abuse-specific self-blame; responses to the Trauma Symptom Checklist in Children-Alternate; and the parent's degree of belief in the child's sexual abuse disclosure. Overall, 83% of the children had at least one trauma symptom; 60% had difficulty sleeping and one-third had thoughts of self-harm. Child age and abuse severity were associated with 3 of 12 trauma symptoms, and abuse-specific self-blame was associated with 10 trauma symptoms, after controlling for other variables. The children of parents who did not completely believe the initial disclosure of abuse were twice as likely to endorse self-blame as children of parents who completely believed the initial disclosure. Screening for behavioural and emotional problems during the medical assessment of suspected sexual abuse should include assessment of self-blame and family responses to the child's disclosures. In addition, parents should be informed of the importance of believing their child during the initial disclosure of abuse and of the impact this has on the child's emotional response to the abuse.