Christine Wekerle

Factors Associated with the Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Child Victims of Sexual Abuse.

This study examined the relationship between the development of PTSD and selected victim and event characteristics. The sample consisted of 69 girls and 21 boys (mean age = 12.4 years) who had been referred to a child witness preparation program following documentation of sexual abuse. Comparisons of PTSD positive (N = 44) and PTSD negative (N = 46) subgroups found significant differences on variables of age, sex, duration of the abuse, and the use of violence or coercion by the offender. Comparisons on psychological test data indicated that the PTSD subgroup significantly differed from the non-PTSD subgroup on the basis of childrens abuse-related fears, anxiety, depression, and feelings of guilt related to the abuse. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that factors related to the nature and severity of the abuse and the childs self-report of guilt feelings each contributed significantly to explaining 37% of the variance in PTSD symptoms, even after the variables of receptive language ability, age, and sex were controlled. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 78.4% of the respondents. The importance of considering PTSD in relation to child sexual abuse is discussed, along with limitations of the current study.

Factors associated with abusive relationships among maltreated and nonmaltreated youth

This study sought to understand how experiences of maltreatment occurring prior to 12 years of age affect adolescent peer and dating relationships. A school-based sample of 15-year-olds was divided into maltreated (n = 132) and nonmaltreated (n = 227) subgroups based on self-reported maltreatment. These two groups were then compared on two theoretically determined dimensions of adjustment (i.e., interpersonal sensitivity/hostility; personal resourceS) and self- and teacher-report measures of peer and dating relationships. Findings supported the hypothesis that maltreated youths significantly differed from nonmaltreated youths in terms of adjustment problems as well as conflict with dating partners and close friends. Maltreated youths reported significantly more verbal and physical abuse both toward and by their dating partners, and were seen by teachers as engaging in more acts of aggression and harassment toward others. In regression analyses, the significant association between maltreatment and dating conflict for males was strengthened by including adjustment dimensions in the equation; for females, adjustment variables mediated the association between maltreatment and dating conflict. Results are discussed in relation to a maladaptive interpersonal trajectory for maltreated children, wherein a violent interactional dynamic in adolescent close relationships may be setting the stage for violence in intimate partnerships.

PREVENTION OF CHILD PHYSICAL ABUSE AND NEGLECT: PROMISING NEW DIRECTIONS

Abstract Intervention studies targeting risk factors to child physical abuse and neglect are reviewed. Programs that addressed parental competency enhancement with a wide range of at-risk individuals, including new parents and teen parents, formed the principal data base. Outcome evaluation studies using an appropriate research methodology were identified from 1977 to 1990 (N = 34). Maternal global adjustment and child-rearing skills were principal intervention targets, and significant gains were shown in these areas across studies. The promotion of child cognitive development and child behavioral competencies was a secondary target of intervention in many studies. More modest gains in these child areas were found, especially for behavioral competeneies. Programs that provided an individualized approach were most successful, especially with parents considered to be at greater risk of maltreatment. Base don these findings, specific strategies to address identified needs of the parent, child, and family situation hold the most promise for prevention, as opposed to nonspecific support and assistance; however, evidence of long-term benefits is limited, and indicators of actual maltreatment (e.g., child abuse reports) are rare and unreliable. Theoretical constructs for consideration in the development and evaluation of prevention strategies are discussed, as well as methodological and applied issues.

Alternatives to Violence: Empowering Youth To Develop Healthy Relationships.

A Call for Action Violence in the Lives of Children, Youth and Families Responding to Violence Establishing a Commitment to Violence Prevention Approaching Solutions Youth as Resources A Developmental Model of Relationship Violence and Abuse Applying the Principles Core Ingredients of Successful Prevention Programs The Youth Relationships Project

Resilience Moderates the Relationship Between Exposure to Violence and Posttraumatic Reexperiencing in Mi’kmaq Youth

This study is part of a school-based collaborative research project with a Nova Scotian Mi’kmaq community that hopes to shed light on the relationship between exposure to violence and mental health in First Nations youth. This particular study sought to examine how the multifaceted construct of resilience might act as a protective factor, buffering some students from the negative mental health consequences of exposure to violence. The present paper focuses on whether the construct of resilience, measured by the Child and Youth Resiliency Measure (CYRM; Ungar et al. 2008), has a moderating impact on the relationship between exposure to violence (emotional, physical, and sexual), measured by the Childhood Experience of Violence Questionnaire (CEVQ; Walsh, MacMillan, Trocmé, Jamieson, & Boyle, in press), and posttraumatic stress symptoms, measured by the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS, Foa et al. 2001). Results showed that the positive relationship between exposure to violence—measured as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and witnessing domestic violence—and the reexperiencing symptom cluster of PTSD was moderated by resilience, such that exposure to violence was only predictive of reexperiencing at lower levels of resilience. These findings not only help provide further cross-cultural validation for the CYRM as a measure, but provide support for an ecological conceptualization of resilience.

Perfectionism and binge drinking in Canadian students making the transition to university.

Objective: In September 2005, the authors explored the relationship between perfectionism and binge drinking in a sample of first-year college students. Participants: The authors recruited 207 first-year college students (76 men, 131 women) to complete the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) and Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (F-MPS). Methods: The authors divided participants into 3 groups on the basis of frequency of binge drinking and conducted multivariate analyses of variance to compare the binge drinking groups on the 3 MPS subscales and the 5 F-MPS subscales. Results: The group with 2 or more binge drinking episodes in the past 2 weeks had higher levels of parental criticism and lower levels of self-oriented perfectionism, but they did not have lower scores on a measure of personal standards. Conclusions: These findings suggest that certain perfectionists binge drink in response to harsh parental treatment and that, at least initially, the pursuit of extreme standards of personal perfection is incompatible with binge drinking. The authors discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.