Posttraumatic stress among youths in juvenile detention

Childhood Maltreatment and Symptoms of PTSD and Depression Among Delinquent Adolescents in Malaysia

Adolescents in the juvenile justice system are known to suffer from various psychological disorders. Less is known about how childhood psychological trauma is related to psychological disorders among delinquent adolescents in Malaysia. This study investigated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and depressive and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Of 327 adolescents 96% were exposed to at least one childhood victimization. Significant differences were found for all types of victimization (i.e. maltreatment, sexual abuse, severe assault, neglect, and family victimization) between delinquent and non-delinquent adolescents. Females were more likely to be involved in family victimization, while males were more likely to experience severe assault and crime victimization. Delinquent adolescents reported depressive and PTSD symptoms significantly more than non-delinquent adolescents. The prevalence of PTSD and depressive symptoms among delinquents was 20.8 and 52.7% respectively. Highly victimized delinquent adolescents and/or those victimized in family-related events were at significantly higher risk to develop psychiatric symptoms.

The roles of trauma exposure, rejection sensitivity, and callous-unemotional traits in the aggressive behavior of justice-involved youth: A moderated mediation model

Research has demonstrated an association between childhood trauma exposure and adolescent aggression. This association may be explained by rejection sensitivity, defined as anger, or anxiety in the anticipation of rejection, which can be a consequence of trauma exposure. Callous-unemotional (CU) traits also are associated with trauma exposure and aggressive behavior; however, research has not yet investigated the interactive roles that rejection sensitivity and CU traits play in the relation between trauma exposure and aggression. Therefore, this study sought to investigate the role of rejection sensitivity in the association between trauma exposure and aggression, and whether this indirect effect was moderated by CU traits. Participants included 380 detained youth (98 girls, 282 boys) who completed self-report measures of trauma exposure, angry, and anxious rejection sensitivity, CU traits, and aggression. Results of moderated mediation demonstrated that the relation between trauma exposure and aggression exhibited an indirect effect through angry rejection sensitivity, but only at moderate or high levels of CU traits. This pattern was not found for anxious rejection sensitivity. Results suggest that interventions aimed to decrease aggressive behavior in traumatized adolescents may benefit from considering how youth respond to rejection, as well as whether youth endorse CU traits, as this may help to limit further involvement in the juvenile justice system after release.

Traumatic Stress Among Seriously Delinquent Youth: Considering the Consequences of Neighborhood Circumstance

Myriad factors have been found to have an impact on delinquent behavior and traumatic stress. This study proposes a model that tests the relationship between common predictors of delinquency (neighborhood condition, antisocial peer socialization, and exposure to violence) with traumatic stress. Serial mediation was used to test the relationships between these predictors and traumatic stress. Results indicate the mediation effect between neighborhood conditions and traumatic stress significantly reduces the total effect. Implications for traumatic stress in the context of delinquent behavior are discussed.