The relationship between exposure to family violence in childhood and post-traumatic stress symptoms in young adulthood: The mediating role of social support

The role of perceived social support from family, friends and significant others in the association between childhood maltreatment on sleep quality in adolescents: Evidence from a weekly diary study

BACKGROUND

Childhood maltreatment is a common problem that can have lasting effects on the physical and mental health of adolescents who have experienced it, including sleep quality.

OBJECTIVE

This study will investigate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and sleep quality in adolescents using a weekly diary method.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

In this study, students from a middle school in central China were recruited as research subjects, and a total of 11 classes with 470 students were investigated.

METHODS

In order to fill in the gaps of previous studies, a weekly diary method was used to collect data. Subjects were required to complete three scales once a week for seven consecutive weeks, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale (PSQI).

RESULTS

Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment has a negative impact on adolescent's sleep quality at the weekly level (γ01c = -0.07, t = -5.71, p < .001) . The negative effect of childhood maltreatment on sleep quality was significantly reduced with the addition of perceived social support (γ01c' = -0.03, t = -2.83, p < .01). Notably, support from friends (γ01a*γ02b = -0.01) and significant others (γ01a*γ02b = -0.02) also played an important mediating role in child maltreatment and adolescent sleep quality, but family support remained the most important support in adolescents (γ01a*γ02b = -0.04).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study has confirmed the negative correlation between childhood maltreatment and sleep quality in adolescents. Furthermore, it has clarified the mechanism of perceived social support and the separate mediating roles of perceived family support, perceived friend support, and perceived significant other support.

The Longitudinal Relationship between Cyberbullying Victimization and Loneliness among Chinese Middle School Students: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Social Support and the Moderating Effect of Sense of Hope

Compared with traditional forms of bullying (e.g., physical bullying, verbal bullying), cyberbullying victimization can bring heavy psychological damage to the victim of bullying. Studies have found that cyberbullying victimization leads to higher levels of depression and causes anger and emotional problems. Nevertheless, existing studies mainly focus on traditional bullying while affording scant consideration to the longitudinal impact of cyberbullying on mental well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of cyberbullying victimization on middle school students' loneliness while simultaneously investigating the mediating role of perceived social support and the moderating role of feelings of hope. A total of 583 middle school students were surveyed using four self-report questionnaires. Cyberbullying victimization predicts loneliness. Perceived social support mediates the role of cyberbullying victimization in influencing cyberbullying. Sense of hope moderated the direct pathway and the second half of the mediating role pathway. First, many mediating and moderating variables of cyberbullying victimization affect loneliness, and different mediating and moderating variables can be studied in the future. Second, future studies could expand this study's sample to validate the results of this study. Third, this study only collected data at two time points, and future studies could collect data at multiple time points. Cyberbullying victimization can increase loneliness over time. Perceived social support and a sense of hope can mitigate the effects of cyberbullying victimization on an individual's mental health.

The Tutor of Resilience Program with Children Who Have Experienced Maltreatment: Mothers' Involvement Matters

Resilience is a dynamic process involving the presence and interaction of personal and environmental factors that modify the impact of adversity. Resilience-building interventions are therefore important for improving trauma-related outcomes in children and caregivers exposed to adversity. This study examines the impact of the Tutor of Resilience (TOR) program on beneficiaries' trauma-related symptoms and on mother-child interactions in a group of children exposed to maltreatment (N = 186; mean age = 11.95; SD = 2.50). Assessments were completed at baseline and post-intervention. RM-ANOVAs indicated significant improvements for most trauma symptoms (anxiety, anger, post-traumatic stress, and disassociation, but not depression) in the intervention group relative to a control group (N = 88; mean age = 10.76; SD = 2.57), and indicated further improvements to anxiety and dissociation for the intervention group when mothers were involved. Mother-child interactions also improved over time, as did their overall trauma symptoms and distress. Findings support the effectiveness of the ToR, especially when involving mothers.

Work Stress and Personal and Relational Well-Being Among Chinese College Teachers: The Indirect Roles of Sense of Control and Work-Related Rumination

Purpose

The association between work stress and well-being has been well documented. However, the underlying mechanism for such association is not clear, especially in terms of how work stress relates to both personal and relational well-being. Based on the Conservation of Resources Theory and the Stress Process Model, the present study examined the potential indirect roles of the sense of control and the work-related rumination in the associations between work stress and both personal and relational well-being.

Methods

Data were collected from 536 married Chinese university teachers (M_age = 39.40 + 7.64, 38.6% males) through an online survey. Analyses were conducted using structural equation modeling via Mplus.

Results

Work stress was indirectly associated with life satisfaction through (a) sense of control, (b) work-related rumination, and (c) a sequential pathway from sense of control to work-related rumination. Work stress was indirectly associated with relationship satisfaction through sense of control.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that sense of control would be an important linking mechanism underlying the association between work stress and college teachers' well-being. Personal well-being may be more vulnerable to work-related rumination than relational well-being. Insights for prevention and intervention efforts in enriching college teachers' well-being are discussed.

Adverse childhood experiences, mental health, and social functioning: A scoping review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) negatively impact people's physical and mental health and social functioning. Research literature focuses on the impact of ACEs on physical and mental health, yet to our knowledge, no study has examined the literature on ACEs, mental health, and social functioning outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

To map how ACEs, mental health, and social functioning outcomes have been defined, assessed, and studied in the empirical literature and identify gaps in the current research which need further investigation.

METHODS

A scoping review methodology following a five-step framework was implemented. Four databases were searched CINAHL, Ovid (Medline, Embase) and PsycInfo. The analysis involved both numerical and a narrative synthesis in line with the framework.

RESULTS

Fifty-eight studies were included in the analysis, and three key issues were identified a) the limitations of research samples to date, b) the choice of outcome measures for ACEs, social and mental health outcomes, and c) the limitations of current study designs.

CONCLUSION

The review demonstrates variability in the documentation of participant characteristics and inconsistencies in the definitions and applications of ACEs, social and mental health and related measurements. There is also a lack of longitudinal and experimental study designs, studies on severe mental illness, and studies including minority groups, adolescents, and older adults with mental health problems. Existing research is highly variable methodologically and limits our broader understanding of the relationships between ACEs, mental health, and social functioning outcomes. Future research should implement robust methodologies to provide evidence that could be used for developing evidence-based interventions.

Trajectories of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Young Adults Exposed to a Typhoon: A Three-Wave Longitudinal Study

Objective: We used a latent class growth model to identify distinct PTSS trajectories and correlates of these trajectories among young adults who experienced Typhoon Hato, the strongest storm to strike China in the last 50 years. Methods: A longitudinal survey (three-waves) was conducted to explore the mental health status and its correlates among young adults exposed to the typhoon. Data from 362 participants were analyzed via a latent class growth model and multinomial logistic regression. Results: Three distinct classes of PTSS trajectories were identified, including: "resilience" (86.46%), "recovery" (9.12%), and "deterioration" (4.42%). The higher levels of direct typhoon exposure, media use, and posttraumatic growth significantly predicted the higher likelihood of participants being in the "recovery'' class. In addition, more social support significantly predicted the higher possibility of being in the "resilience" class. Finally, more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms significantly predicted the higher likelihood of being in the "deterioration" class. Conclusion: Further research should develop interventions to enhance protective factors (e.g., posttraumatic growth, media use), decrease risk factors (e.g., depressive and anxiety symptoms), and thereby prevent PTSS.

Exposure to Parental Violence During Childhood and Later Psychological Distress Among Arab Adults in Israel: The Role of Gender and Sense of Coherence

Exposure to parental violence in childhood is a significant predictor of psychological distress in adulthood. Factors at the individual level may explain the variance in psychological distress among adults exposed to parental violence. The current study examined the effect of exposure to different forms (i.e., physical violence and psychological aggression) and different patterns of parental violence (i.e., witnessing interparental violence, experiencing parental violence) on later psychological distress. The mediating role of sense of coherence (SOC) and the moderating role of gender in this relationship were also examined. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 604 married Arab adults in Israel (age = 20-60, M = 33.5, SD = 6.52) using a retrospective, self-administered questionnaire. Results indicate a significant positive relationship between all forms and types of parental violence explored in the current study with levels of psychological distress. Furthermore, exposure to parental violence correlated negatively with SOC, and low levels of SOC predicted higher levels of psychological distress. SOC was found to partially mediate the relationship between exposure to parental violence and psychological distress. Gender differences were found only with regard to experiencing physical violence as a predictor of psychological distress, indicating that the relationship between these variables is stronger in females. These results highlight the importance of SOC as a personal resource and its role in promoting psychological wellbeing. Healthcare practitioners should be aware of possible gender differences in psychological distress among Arab adults exposed to parental violence.

Epidemiology of Childhood Witnessing Domestic Violence and Exploration of Its Relationships With Affective Lability and Suicide Attempts in Chinese Young Adults

Childhood witnessing domestic violence (CWDV) exerts short- and long-term negative impacts on emotional and behavioral health. The present study investigated the epidemiological features of CWDV, and its negative impact on psychological outcomes in a sample of Chinese college students. The mediating role of emotion regulation strategies on CWDV associations with psychological outcomes and gender differences in these relationships were examined. A total of 3,126 respondents (1,034 males; 2,086 females; 6 missing data in gender) completed the study questionnaire, which included demographic characteristics, CWDV, and suicide attempt history items as well as the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and Affect Lability Scale-18 (ALS-18). Overall, 43.03% of the respondents reported CWDV, including 44.87% of males and 42.09% of females. Higher frequencies of CWDV were found to be related to the following factors: unstable marital status of parents; not being an only child; being a left-behind child, family financial difficulties, consumption of alcohol in the past year, and being in relatively poor physical condition. Among males, ERQ suppression scores were significantly higher for those men who experienced "often or every day" CWDV than for men who indicated that they did not have any history of CWDV (Bonferroni-corrected p = 0.047). More frequent CWDV was associated with higher ALS-18 scores and increased risk of suicide attempts in males and females (p < 0.05), and emotion regulation (suppression) was found to mediate the association between CWDV and affective lability among males. This study revealed high rates of CWDV, and serious impacts of CWDV on mental health in male and female Chinese college students. In males, but not females, emotion regulation strategy use, use of suppression, was found to act as a mediator in the association of CWDV with affective lability. Our findings suggest that interventions for individuals with CWDV should focus on the emotional regulation, which may help them improve mental health, especially in males.

Parental Conflicts and Posttraumatic Stress of Children in High-Conflict Divorce Families

Parental conflicts consistently predict negative outcomes for children. Research suggests that children from high-conflict divorces (HCD) may also experience post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), yet little is known about the association between parental conflicts in HCD families and child PTSS. We investigated this association, hypothesizing that parental conflicts would predict child PTSS. We also tested the moderating role of interparental contact frequency, hypothesizing that frequent contact would intensify the association between parental conflicts and child PTSS. This study was part of an observational study on the outcomes of No Kids in the Middle (NKM), a multi-family group intervention for HCD families. A total of 107 children from 68 families participated in the study with at least one parent. We used pre- (T1) and post-intervention (T2) data. Research questions were addressed cross-sectionally, using regression analyses to predict PTSS at T1, and longitudinally, using a correlated change (T1 to T2) model. The cross-sectional findings suggested that mother- and child-reported conflicts, but not father-reported conflicts, were related to the severity of child PTSS. Longitudinally, we found that change in father-reported conflicts, but not change in child- or mother-reported conflicts, were related to change in child PTSS. The estimated associations for the different informants were not significantly different from one another. The frequency of contact between ex-partners did not moderate the relationship between parental conflicts and child PTSS. We conclude that there is a positive association between parental conflicts and child PTSS in HCD families independent of who reports on the conflicts.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-021-00410-9.

Fathers’ parenting stress, parenting styles and children’s problem behavior: the mediating role of parental burnout

Parental duties can be overwhelming, particularly when parents lack sufficient resources to cope with parenting demands, leading to parental burnout. Research has shown that parental burnout is positively related to neglect and abuse behaviors towards their children; however, few studies have examined parental burnout within the family system, including examining parenting styles as an antecedent, and most research has ignored the potential influence of fathers’ parental burnout. This study aimed to explore the influence of fathers’ parenting stress and parenting styles on internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors in a sample of junior high school students and the mediating effect of parental burnout. Questionnaire data from 236 students (56.4% girls) and their fathers (age: M = 39.24, SD = 5.13) were collected on 3 different time points. Fathers were asked to report their parenting stress and parenting styles at Time 1, and parental burnout at Time 2, and students were asked to report their internalizing and externalizing behaviors at Time 3. The results indicated that: (1) fathers’ parenting stress and negative parenting styles were positively related to parental burnout, and fathers’ positive parenting styles were negatively related to parental burnout; (2) fathers’ parental burnout was positively related to children’s internalizing and externalizing problem behavior; and (3) fathers’ parental burnout could mediate the relationship between parenting stress, negative parenting styles, and internalizing and externalizing problem behavior. These results suggested that fathers’ roles in the parenting process were not negligible, and more attention should be given to prevention and intervention methods for fathers’ parental burnout.

Victim-Offender Relationship and the Emotional, Social, and Physical Consequences of Violent Victimization

INTRODUCTION

Research is equivocal about how the social relationship between victims and offenders is linked to the emotional, social, and physical consequences of violence. This study examines the association of victim-offender relationship with the adverse outcomes reported by injured and uninjured victims of violence.

METHODS

The study analyzed 16,723 violent victimizations recorded by the National Crime Victimization Survey from 2008 to 2018. Multivariable quasi-Poisson models estimated the associations between the victim-offender relationship and victims' emotional distress, social distress, and physical and emotional symptoms. These models also estimated a statistical interaction between victim-offender relationship and violent injury to examine how this association differed for injured and uninjured victims. The analyses occurred during 2020 and 2021.

RESULTS

Uninjured victims were more likely to report emotional distress (risk ratio=1.41, 95% CI=1.33, 1.50), social distress (risk ratio=3.12, 95% CI=2.78, 3.51), more physical symptoms (symptom frequency ratio=1.68, 95% CI=1.51, 1.87), and more emotional symptoms (symptom frequency ratio=1.13, 95% CI=1.08, 1.18) in family member/intimate partner violence than in stranger violence. Victims also reported worse outcomes after acquaintance violence than after stranger violence. For injured victims, these differences narrowed-but were still significant-in emotional and social distress models. However, the number of emotional and physical symptoms reported by injured victims did not significantly vary across victim-offender relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

Relational closeness between victims and offenders is a risk factor for adverse outcomes after violent victimization, and it is more strongly associated with these outcomes for uninjured victims than for injured victims.

Thriving despite Parental Physical Abuse in Adolescence: A Two-Wave Latent Transition Analysis on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Violence-Resilience Outcome Indicators

Internationally, about 25% of all children experience physical abuse by their parents. Despite the numerous odds against them, about 30% of adolescents who have experienced even the most serious forms of physical abuse by their parents escape the vicious family violence cycle. In this study, we analyzed longitudinally the data from a sample of N = 1767 seventh-grade high school students in Switzerland on physical abuse by their parents. We did this by conducting an online questionnaire twice within the school year. We found that in our sample, about 30% of the participating adolescents’ parents had physically abused them. We considered violence resilience a multi-systemic construct that included the absence of psychopathology on one hand and both forms of well-being (psychological and subjective) on the other. Our latent construct included both feeling good (hedonic indicators, such as high levels of self-esteem and low levels of depression/anxiety and dissociation) and doing well (eudaimonic indicators, such as high levels of self-determination and self-efficacy as well as low levels of aggression toward peers). By applying a person-oriented analytical approach via latent transition analysis with a sub-sample of students who experienced physical abuse (n_w2 = 523), we identified and compared longitudinally four distinct violence-resilience patterns and their respective trajectories. By applying to the field of resilience, one of the most compelling insights of well-being research (Deci & Ryan, 2001), we identified violence resilience as a complex, multidimensional latent construct that concerns hedonic and eudaimonic well-being and is not solely based on terms of psychopathology.

Linking Childhood Maltreatment and Psychological Symptoms: The Role of Social Support, Coping Styles, and Self-Esteem in Adolescents

Psychological symptoms are common among adolescents in China, which are associated with various negative consequences. There has been a pressing need for additional research of factors responsible for the occurrence of psychological symptoms during this developmental period, among which childhood maltreatment, personal coping style, one's levels of social support, and self-esteem deserve our attention. The association between childhood maltreatment and psychological symptoms is evident; however, the possible mediating effect of the other three factors mentioned above remains unclear. Hence, the current study aims to investigate the possible mediating roles of social support, coping style, and self-esteem in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the development of psychological symptoms among adolescents. An adolescent-based health survey was conducted between 2013 and 2014 in 15 schools in China. A total of 9,704 students (aged 11-19 years) were enrolled and measures on childhood maltreatment, social support, coping styles, self-esteem, and psychological symptoms were completed. It was found that childhood maltreatment was positively correlated with psychological symptoms and negative coping styles, and negatively correlated with social support, positive coping styles, and self-esteem (p < .001). Social support, coping styles, and self-esteem mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and psychological symptoms. The estimated effect of childhood maltreatment on the occurrence of psychological symptoms could be explained by the mediation of social support, positive coping styles, negative coping styles, and self-esteem, whose ratio of roles came to 13.8%, 7.5%, 20.9%, and 10.3%, respectively. These findings indicate a need to promote social support, self-esteem, and positive coping styles, and decrease the level of negative coping styles, to markedly reduce the impact of psychological symptoms of childhood maltreatment among adolescents.

Parental Burnout and Child Maltreatment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread across the United States, resulting in significant changes in almost all aspects daily life. These changes place parents at increased risk for parental burnout. Parental burnout is a chronic condition resulting from high levels of parenting-related stress due to a mismatch between the demands of parenting and the resources available for parents to meet those demands. Research on parental burnout has suggested that parents who experience burnout are more likely to engage in child abuse and neglect, placing children at risk for detrimental short- and long-term outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to review the concept of parental burnout, discuss parental burnout in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic, and focus specifically on the effects of child maltreatment. Implications for practitioners will be discussed.

Mothers’ experience of caring for home-quarantined children after close contact with COVID-19 in Korea: an exploratory qualitative study

Purpose

The world saw a shift into a new society consequent to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which made home quarantine mandatory for a person in close contact with those who tested positive. For children, however, home quarantine was not limited only to themselves but parents, especially mothers were involved and required to quarantine. This qualitative study aimed to explore and understand mothers’ experience and their related psychosocial issues while caring for their school-aged children in Korea, who had to home quarantine after coming in close contact with COVID-19 positive individuals.

Methods

Data were collected from October 2020 to January 2021 via in-depth, semi-structured interviews with nine mothers of children who had to home quarantine. Interviews were conducted face-to-face in an independent space near the participant’s home or workplace (n=5) or via online platforms or telephone (n=4). The data were analyzed using thematic analysis through several iterative team meetings.

Results

Thematic analysis revealed the following four themes: “Unable to be relieved due to uncertain situations surrounding me,” “Blame and hurt toward me, others, and one another,” “Pulling myself together for my children in my broken daily life,” and “Changes in the meaning of life amid COVID-19.”

Conclusion

The narratives show that mothers experienced psychosocial difficulties while caring for their children during home quarantine. It is necessary to reduce the social stigma toward individuals in home quarantine and establish policies to ensure work-family compatibility for such mothers.

The Effects of Exposure to Domestic Violence on Sleep Among Urban Adults

PURPOSE

Domestic violence contributes to poor health including sleep disruptions, which has been associated with risk for chronic conditions and ultimately, premature mortality. The present study examined the effects of ever witnessing domestic violence on sleep among urban neighborhoods of color.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional.

SETTING

Ten of Chicago's 77 community areas.

PARTICIPANTS

Adults, aged 18 years and older (N = 1,543, Response Rate = 28.4%). Over 49% of participants reported a Hispanic ethnicity, 34.8 percent reported being non-Hispanic Black and 14.2 percent reported being White.

MEASURES

We used the Sinai Community Health Survey, 2.0, to examine: average hours of sleep in a 24-hour period, ever witnessing domestic violence, ever being emotionally or physically abused, frequent stress in the past 12 months, and other key covariates (race and ethnicity, annual household income, sex, and health status).

ANALYSIS

Multivariate logistic regression.

RESULTS

In the full model, participants who reported witnessing domestic violence were significantly less likely to report meeting sleep recommendations even after controlling for ever being emotionally or physically abused, frequently feeling stress, demographic factors, and health status. Non-Hispanic Blacks were most likely to report not meeting sleep recommendations (OR = .54, 95% CI = .30-.96, P = .036).

CONCLUSION

Witnessing domestic violence contributes to not meeting sleep recommendations and this appears to be most salient for Non-Hispanic Blacks. These point-in-time findings document an important potential contributor to racial health disparities.

Family violence during COVID-19 and its impact on mental health of children: A systematic review

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic posed unanticipated challenges that could impact how the family system operates across the world. Restrictions imposed to control the rapid spread of the virus substantially increased violence in families. The current study aims to review violence in the family and its impact on the mental health of children during the pandemic.Method: A systematic search was conducted using keywords in the electronic databases PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science, and a manual search was conducted on Google Scholar for articles from January 2020 to January 2021. Of the 50 records identified, seven studies that met eligibility criteria were selected for final analysis.Results: Results revealed that family violence during the pandemic has escalated the mental health problems of children, including aggressive and self-harming behaviours. Lockdown restrictions, social detachment, financial instability, fear of infection, and unemployment led to increased parental stress. Parents with a higher level of stress were more likely to maltreat their children.Conclusions: Exposure to short and long-term family violence can adversely impact the mental health of children and can negatively affect a child's present and future life. Recommendations for researchers, mental health practitioners, public health authorities, and other service providers are also outlined.

Remote and adjacent psychological predictors of early-adulthood resilience: Role of early-life trauma, extraversion, life-events, depression, and social-support

Resilience is important for people to maintain mental health after negative life-events. However, its longitudinal psychological and social predictors are poorly revealed. Based on the ecological system theory model, the current study aimed to determine the longitudinal temporal mechanism underlying the development of early-adulthood resilience using long-term (early-life trauma and personality), medium-term and short-term (life-events, social support, and depression) psychosocial predictors. A total of 505 university students were recruited at baseline (T1), 433 of whom took part in a three-year longitudinal investigation (T2). The results showed that at T1 and T2, the resilience scores of individuals were identically high (72.98 and 73.21, respectively). Pearson correlation analysis showed that early-adulthood resilience was negatively correlated with early-life trauma, psychoticism and neuroticism, depression, ad life-events, and positively correlated with extraversion, social-support, and resilience. Regression and structural equation models showed that extraversion had a direct positive effect on T1 resilience through the mediation of T1 life-events, depression, and social-support, while childhood emotional neglect (EN) had indirect negative effect and extraversion had direct positive effect on T2 resilience through the mediation of T1 resilience, and T2 depression and social-support. In conclusion, this study is among the first to reveal the longitudinal temporal process of the development of early-adulthood resilience using remote and adjacent psychosocial predictors. The findings confirm that childhood EN and extraversion have a remote impact on early-adulthood resilience through recent and current depression and social-support. Our results imply that early-life trauma does not hinder the development of early-adulthood resilience in a linear trend.

Understanding How Relational Health Effects Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration among Low-Income, Black, Indigenous, Men of Color Exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences: An Exploratory Study

Relational health has emerged as a consistent factor that can mitigate the effects of trauma among children; however, less is known about relational health with adults, particularly related to intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among racially and socioeconomically marginalized men. The Exploratory Sequential Design, Taxonomy Development Model was used. Semi-structured interviews (N = 11) and narrative analysis were conducted in Phase I. In Phase II, variables approximating the key themes that emerged in Phase I were selected from an existing dataset (N = 67), and relationships were examined using bivariate associations. The sample consisted of low-income Black, Indigenous, men of color (BIMOC) in a batterer intervention program (BIP). Adverse life experiences shaped participants’ world view via mistrust in others, stifling emotions and vulnerability, and a sense of personal guilt and shame. These orientations were then carried into adult relationships where men coped using social isolation to manage challenges, negatively affecting intimate relationships. For some men, mental health exacerbated these circumstances. Significant bivariate and multivariate associations supported this narrative. This study lays the foundation for future research to examine the potential effects of social support on IPV perpetration. BIPs should consider augmenting programming to enhance men’s social networks to support their use of nonviolence after program completion.

The relationship between exposure of Palestinian youth to community violence and internalizing and externalizing symptoms: Do gender and social support matter?

BACKGROUND

Youth exposure to community violence (ECV) in the Palestinian society is an alarming problem. Yet, there is serious scarcity of research on its mental health consequences.

OBJECTIVES

The study examined the relationships between youth ECV and internalizing and externalizing symptoms as well as the moderating and mediating effects of gender and support from family and teachers on these relationships.

PARTICIPANTS, SETTING, AND METHOD

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a systematic random sample of 1930 Palestinian junior and senior high school pupils (912 boys, 1018 girls, aged 12-19-year- old), using a self-administered questionnaire.

RESULTS

The results revealed that the more Palestinian youth were exposed to community violence (CV) the more they demonstrated internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Palestinian boys who were victims of CV reported higher levels of externalizing symptoms, while girls reported higher levels of internalizing symptoms. Adolescents with higher levels of family support and teacher support reported lower levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. We have also found that gender can moderate the effects of CV victimization on internalizing symptoms and that family support can mediates the relationship between CV victimization and internalizing symptoms and moderate the relationships between ECV (both victimization and witnessing) and externalizing symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The moderating and mediating effects of gender and social support on the relationship between ECV and mental health consequences are discussed. The implications of the results for future research and for prevention and intervention as well as the strengths and limitations of the study are also discussed.

Association between child abuse exposure and the risk of psychiatric disorders: A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND

Child abuse affects children physiologically and psychologically, increasing the risk of future psychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether child abuse victims have a higher incidence of future psychiatric disorders or substance abuse.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

The participants consisted of a nationwide, population-based cohort selected in accordance with the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database. All children were enrolled between 2000 and 2015.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study with a matched-cohort design. Children who experienced child abuse were identified using International Classification of Disease codes and compared with children who had not experienced child abuse by measuring rates of anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, sleep disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder/acute stress disorder, eating disorders, substance-related disorders (alcohol use disorder and illicit drug use disorder), psychotic disorders, and organic mental disorders.

RESULTS

The psychiatric disorder risk was significantly higher in victims of child abuse than in controls (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.15; 95 % confidence interval, 1.92-2.40; P < 0.001). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significantly higher 15-year cumulative incidence of psychiatric disorders among child abuse victims than among controls (394.57 vs. 317.56 events per 100,000 person-years; log-rank test, P <  0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In Taiwan, child abuse is associated with increased psychiatric disorder and substance abuse risk. Individuals involved in caring for abused children, including family members, pediatricians, nurses, and social workers, as well as policy makers, should be aware of this risk. Early referral of child abuse victims to pediatric psychiatrists may help detect high-risk cases and facilitate early intervention.

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

BACKGROUND

It 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.

OBJECTIVE

The 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 SETTING

Participants 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.

METHOD

Multiple 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.

RESULTS

Analyses 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).

CONCLUSIONS

These 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.