Elissa J. Brown

Childhood traumatic grief: an exploration of the construct in children bereaved on September 11.

This study is an exploration of the measurement and correlates of childhood traumatic grief (CTG). Eighty-three children of uniformed service personnel who died during the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001, were assessed using measures of demographic characteristics, trauma exposure (physical proximity, emotional proximity, and secondary adversities), use of coping strategies, psychiatric symptoms (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], general anxiety, depression), self-esteem, and traumatic grief. An exploratory factor analysis of the Extended Grief Inventory (EGI; Layne, Savjak, Saltzman, & Pynoos, 2001) indicated distinct constructs of normal versus traumatic grief. CTG factor scores were correlated with secondary adversities from the traumatic event, symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and coping responses, underscoring the theoretical and clinical utility of the content of the measure. Study limitations and future research recommendations are discussed.

Communalism, familism, and filial piety: Are they birds of a collectivist feather?

The present studies examined the extent to which (a) communalism, familism, and filial piety would pattern onto a single family/relationship primacy construct; (b) this construct would be closely related to indices of collectivism; and (c) this construct would be related to positive psychosocial functioning and psychological distress. In Study 1, 1,773 students from nine colleges and universities around the United States completed measures of communalism, familism, and filial piety, as well as of individualistic and collectivistic values. Results indicated that communalism, familism, and filial piety clustered onto a single factor. This factor, to which we refer as family/relationship primacy, was closely and positively related to collectivism but only weakly and positively related to individualism and independence. In Study 2, 10,491 students from 30 colleges and universities in 20 U.S. states completed measures of communalism, familism, and filial piety, as well as of positive psychosocial functioning and psychological distress. The family/relationship primacy factor again emerged and was positively associated with both positive psychosocial functioning and psychological distress. Clinical implications and future directions for the study of cultural values are discussed.

Effects of Writing About Rape: Evaluating Pennebaker's Paradigm with a Severe Trauma

We examined the effect of disclosing to others an attempted or completed rape. Eighty-five undergraduate women who acknowledged attempted or completed rape wrote about their experience and read their narratives. In a 2 × 2 design, we examined the value of writing only factual information versus factual plus emotional information, and reading to oneself versus reading aloud to another woman. Before and 1-month after the task, symptoms of dysphoria, social anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder were assessed. Greater detail and a moderate level of personalization in the description of the trauma were associated with decreased symptoms of dysphoria and social anxiety. Neither the nature of the writing task nor the presence of another woman predicted degree of symptom reduction.

Children's Perceptions of their Abusive Experience: Measurement and Preliminary Findings:

Contemporary clinical formulations and recent research highlight the importance of cognitive-attributional symptoms in explaining the outcomes of child abuse. This study is directed toward the preliminary identification and measurement of these attributions. From a larger sample, 47 child abuse victims (ages 6 to 18) were administered a 16-item interview measure designed to evaluate several attributions common to this population. Children and their caregivers also completed several other clinical measures. A priori constructs containing most items were formed and found to possess internal consistency and modest stability. Analyses revealed the utility (e.g., differences across abuse types and relationships with perpetrator), criterion validity (e.g., relationship to post-traumatic stress disorder, internalizing symptoms), and content validity (e.g., professional input/ratings) of certain constructs and individual items. These findings identify some of the attributional sequelae of child abuse that deserve further clinical attention and research evaluation. Suggestions for developments in these two areas are discussed.

Meaning in Life in Emerging Adulthood: A Person‐Oriented Approach

The present study investigated naturally occurring profiles based on two dimensions of meaning in life: Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning. Cluster analysis was used to examine meaning-in-life profiles, and subsequent analyses identified different patterns in psychosocial functioning for each profile. A sample of 8,492 American emerging adults (72.5% women) from 30 colleges and universities completed measures on meaning in life, and positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Results provided support for five meaningful yet distinguishable profiles. A strong generalizability of the cluster solution was found across age, and partial generalizability was found across gender and ethnicity. Furthermore, the five profiles showed specific patterns in relation to positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Specifically, respondents with profiles high on Presence of Meaning showed the most adaptive psychosocial functioning, whereas respondents with profiles where meaning was largely absent showed maladaptive psychosocial functioning. The present study provided additional evidence for prior research concerning the complex relationship between Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning, and their relation with psychosocial functioning. Our results offer a partial clarification of the nature of the Search for Meaning process by distinguishing between adaptive and maladaptive searching for meaning in life.

Facing Fears and Sadness: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Childhood Traumatic Grief

&NA; The term childhood traumatic grief (CTG) is being increasingly used to refer to the particular reaction in children that may follow the death of a loved one during a traumatic event. The goal of this case study is to describe the theoretical argument and framework for, as well as a clinical example of, cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) for CTG. We present a case of a five‐year‐old boy whose father, a firefighter, died in the line of duty at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. This specific case will highlight the steps of CBT for CTG, the value of assessment during the therapeutic process, and the need to consider developmental and family factors in treatment.

Early Intervention with Traumatized Children

With the events of September 11th, childhood trauma has come to the forefront of national attention. One of the common psychiatric outcomes of trauma is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Despite the fact that certain vulnerabilities may contribute to the development of PTSD in traumatized youth, the existence of an identifiable stressor provides a unique opportunity for early intervention. Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT) interventions are considered by many to be the mainstay of treatment of children and adolescents with PTSD. More severe cases of PTSD are often treated with medications in the community. In this article we present a CBT program—developed by our site—STAIR—and provide useful guides and rationales for clinicians to work with when treating this population. We will also briefly review the available literature on the psychopharmacologic interventions to help guide the physician when confronted with such treatment decisions.

Treatment of childhood traumatic grief: contributing to a newly emerging condition in the wake of community trauma.

Following the events of September 11, 2001, mental health professionals throughout New York City were mobilized to create and implement programs for families suffering from traumaand bereavement-related psychiatric problems. It was estimated that over 10,000 children lost their parents or other loved ones as a result of that day’s terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Since the attack was unlike any other human disaster in the history of the United States, there was little practical precedent to rely on in planning interventions. Instead, the available scientific literature was consulted with a view to developing hypotheses and building a sound clinical research program regarding childhood traumatic grief (CTG). In an attempt both to develop effective interventions for CTG and to address the mental health needs of the children of the emergency service personnel (firefighters and police officers, Port Authority workers, and emergency medical technicians) who were killed September 11, a randomized comparison study was undertaken of two psychotherapies for CTG: trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) adapted for CTG (TG-CBT), as described in this issue’s article by Brown, Pearlman, and Goodman;1 and clientcentered therapy (CCT), as described in this issue’s article by Goodman, Morgan, Juriga, and Brown.2 The procedures,

Meaning in Life in Emerging Adulthood

The present study investigated naturally occurring profiles based on two dimensions of meaning in life: Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning. Cluster analysis was used to examine meaning-in-life profiles, and subsequent analyses identified different patterns in psychosocial functioning for each profile. A sample of 8,492 American emerging adults (72.5% women) from 30 colleges and universities completed measures on meaning in life, and positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Results provided support for five meaningful yet distinguishable profiles. A strong generalizability of the cluster solution was found across age, and partial generalizability was found across gender and ethnicity. Furthermore, the five profiles showed specific patterns in relation to positive and negative psychosocial functioning. Specifically, respondents with profiles high on Presence of Meaning showed the most adaptive psychosocial functioning, whereas respondents with profiles where meaning was largely absent showed maladaptive psychosocial functioning. The present study provided additional evidence for prior research concerning the complex relationship between Presence of Meaning and Search for Meaning, and their relation with psychosocial functioning. Our results offer a partial clarification of the nature of the Search for Meaning process by distinguishing between adaptive and maladaptive searching for meaning in life.

The moderating role of centrality on associations between ethnic identity affirmation and ethnic minority college students mental health

Abstract Background: Prior literature has shown that ethnic affirmation, one aspect of ethnic identity, is positively associated with mental health. However, the associations between ethnic affirmation and mental health may vary depending how much importance individuals place on their ethnic group membership (ie, centrality). Methods: Using path analysis, the current study examined the relations between ethnic affirmation and indices of mental health problems (ie, anxiety and depressive symptoms), and tested whether the process was moderated by ethnic centrality among 3,659 college students representing 3 ethnic groups (41% Latino/a, 35% Asian American, and 24% African American) who participated in a large, multisite university study. Results and Conclusions: Results suggested that the associations between ethnic affirmation and mental health were stronger for Latino/a and Asian American students who reported higher levels of ethnic centrality. For African Americans, higher levels of ethnic affirmation predicted better mental health, but this association did not vary as a function of ethnic centrality.