Lisa DeMarni Cromer

A Case Series: Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment (Exposure, Relaxation, and Rescripting Therapy) of Trauma-Related Nightmares Experienced by Children

Two case studies are presented to demonstrate that children who experience trauma-related nightmares may benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy for this sleep problem. The treatment was adapted from the empirically supported adult treatment for chronic trauma-related nightmares: exposure, relaxation, and rescripting therapy (ERRT). Pretreatment and posttreatment nightmare frequency and severity were measured in addition to subjective nightmare-related distress, behavioral problems, sleep quality and quantity, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Improvement in nightmare and sleep disturbance frequencies were found as well as reductions in parents’ reports of child behavior problems. This study provides preliminary support for the use of ERRT with children.

The Relationship Between Executive Attention and Dissociation in Children

SUMMARY Dissociation involves disruption in the usually integrated functions of consciousness, memory, identity, and perception. Recent research with adults suggests that dissociation is associated with alterations in attention. Little work, however, has examined the attentional correlates of dissociation in childhood. This study is the first to investigate the specificity of cognitive functions related to dissociation in children. Twenty-four 5- to 8-year-old foster children completed several subtests of the NEPSY: A Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (Korkman, Kirk, & Kemp, 1998) in the Executive Functioning/ Attention domain. Foster caregivers completed the Child Dissociative Checklist (Bernstein & Putnam, 1986). Consistent with the adult literature, higher levels of childhood dissociation were associated with deficits in tasks requiring inhibition, but not with tasks requiring primarily planning, strategy, or multiple rule sets.

WHAT INFLUENCES BELIEVING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE DISCLOSURES? THE ROLES OF DEPICTED MEMORY PERSISTENCE, PARTICIPANT GENDER, TRAUMA HISTORY, AND SEXISM

This vignette study investigated factors that influence believing child sexual abuse disclosures. College student participants (N = 318) in a university human subject pool completed measures about their own trauma history and responded to questions about sexist attitudes. Participants then read vignettes in which an adult disclosed a history of child sexual abuse, rated disclosures for accuracy and believability, and judged the level of abusiveness. Continuous memories were believed more than recovered memories. Men believed abuse reports less than did women, and people who had not experienced trauma were less likely to believe trauma reports. Gender and personal history interacted such that trauma history did not impact womens judgments but did impact mens judgments. Men with a trauma history responded similarly to women with or without a trauma history. High sexism predicted lower judgments of an event being abusive. Hostile sexism was negatively correlated with believing abuse disclosures. Results are considered in light of myths about child sexual abuse.

Trauma-Relevant Characteristics in a University Human Subjects Pool Population: Gender, Major, Betrayal, and Latency of Participation

ABSTRACT This study of over 700 participants is the first to examine whether students in a university human subjects pool (HSP) population differ systematically by gender, major, and participation time (early versus late in the term) on characteristics relevant to trauma research. Males and females reported equal amounts of overall child and adult trauma, and equal amounts of low-betrayal trauma. Females reported more child and adult high-betrayal trauma (i.e., trauma perpetrated by someone close) than did males. Females also reported more current post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms than did males. Psychology majors reported more high-betrayal trauma and low-betrayal traumatic events in childhood, as well as more adult low-betrayal trauma, than did non-majors. Dissociation was correlated with all types of trauma. Current age was positively correlated with reporting trauma, regardless of age at which the trauma was experienced. Additionally, students who participated later in the term were, on average, more than a year older than those who participated earlier in the same term. There was no significant difference between early and late participants on any measure of trauma, PTSD symptoms, or dissociation. Implications for the use of HSPS in studying trauma and future research directions are addressed.

Research Ethics in Victimization Studies Widening the Lens

The Clark and Walter article is a provocative call to widen the lens of ethical consideration for research with potentially vulnerable populations, such as victims of violence. With emphasis on the ethical principle of nonmaleficence, Clark and Walker advocate using ethical decision making in every realm of the research process, from conceptualization to dissemination. The authors raise concern about possible compromised ethics because of the high-pressured academic research environment in which publish-or-perish and extramural funding mandates exist. In fact, they argue that if left solely to investigators and (institutional review board) IRBs, teleological ethical processes (although not explicitly stated as such) offer inadequate protection for victims of violence who participate in research. Clark and Walker believe that to avoid exploitation of research participants, one needs a broader lens than the current approach. We heartily agree that ethical decision making should be integral to each stage of the research process; further, we applaud their efforts to raise these issues with respect to intimate partner violence. Nonetheless, we disagree with statements about the pervasiveness of certain potential risks and problems in the absence of clear data to support these concerns. Ultimately, we concur with the overall thesis—careful ethical thinking needs to be utilized for all research—including that which involves individuals exposed to violence. Our comments aim to provoke further discussion. Toward this end, we highlight several areas for amplification, clarification, and reconsideration. Many of the important issues raised by Clark and Walker are not unique to studies of violence. Misconduct in any stage of research is never justified. Furthermore, Commentary

Teachers' Beliefs about Maltreatment Effects on Student Learning and Classroom Behavior

This study sought to examine teachers’ perceptions of child maltreatment. Teachers (N = 66) responded to open-ended questions asking how physical and sexual abuse and emotional neglect affect student learning and classroom behavior in an online survey. Teachers reported that maltreatment outcomes manifest in academic difficulties, attention-deficit, disruptive and internalizing behaviors, and other maltreatment-related sequelae. Teachers reported more negative consequences from attention-deficit and disruptive behaviors on classroom behavior compared to all other maltreatment outcomes combined. Given the overlapping behaviors exhibited by maltreated children and children with attention-deficit and disruptive behavior disorders, a greater emphasis should be placed on educating teachers on these similarities to better assist them in detecting and responding appropriately to potential cases of child maltreatment.

Attitudes About Human Trafficking: Individual Differences Related to Belief and Victim Blame

Human trafficking is believed to oppress millions of people worldwide. Despite increased media attention and public awareness campaigns in recent years, no empirical research has examined public attitudes about human trafficking. The present study examined gender, sexual trauma history, and attitudes about human trafficking as they related to belief of a sex-trafficking scenario and willingness to blame the victim for the situation. Undergraduate students (N = 409) at a large private university in the Northeastern United States completed measures in which they responded to a vignette portraying sex trafficking in the United States. Participants also reported their personal trauma history and completed a Human Trafficking Myths Scale. Results indicated that gender and human trafficking myth acceptance, but not sexual trauma history, were significantly related to participants’ belief of the sex-trafficking scenario and their perception of the victim’s responsibility. Potential implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Perceptions of Mental Illness Stigma: Comparisons of Athletes to Nonathlete Peers

Stigma related to mental health and its treatment can thwart help-seeking. The current study assessed college athletes’ personal and perceived public mental illness stigma and compared this to nonathlete students. Athletes (N = 304) were National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletes representing 16 teams. Results indicated that athletes reported greater perceived public stigma than personal stigma. Athletes reported significantly higher levels of stigma compared to nonathlete peers (n = 103). Accordingly, athletes may benefit from education that can reduce the stigma of mental illness and reduce prejudices toward those who are seeking treatment. Additional implications for improving access to care are discussed.

Beyond gender: proximity to interpersonal trauma in examining differences in believing child abuse disclosures

Survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) often delay disclosing or do not disclose the abuse for fear of not being believed. Studies document that women believe CSA disclosures more often than do men. Little research has examined theoretical underpinnings for gender differences in believing. However, 1 theory suggests that women may be more empathetic to disclosures because interpersonal trauma (IPT) is proximal to their lives. The present study aimed to extend understanding of how proximity to IPT may shape views of others’ experiences of IPT. This study examined whether proximity to IPT (i.e., knowing a close other who had experienced IPT) rather than personal experience would better account for the robust gender differences typically found in believing disclosures. College students (N = 279) completed self-report measures about their personal trauma history and responded to questions regarding knowledge of close others’ trauma histories. Participants read a vignette of an adult female disclosing CSA and rated the disclosure for believability. Results indicate that exposure to IPT increased believing, whereas gender did not. These results suggest that one’s proximity to IPT may be an alternative explanation for influence on believing CSA rather than gender alone.

A Qualitative Study of the Honeymoon Period Following Military Deployment Among Families With Young Children

More than 2 million children have experienced parental deployment since 2001, yet little is known about the impact of deployment on families with young children. Specifically, the reintegration experiences of families with young children is absent from the extant literature, despite the fact that 41% of military children are under six years old. The current study is a first step in examining the honeymoon, which, when present, is considered the initial period of reintegration. The honeymoon period is inconsistently operationalized across studies, and the term is used in the literature without being defined. The current qualitative investigation sought to operationalize and define the honeymoon period in families with young children.