Patricia K. Kerig

Posttraumatic Stress as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Trauma and Mental Health Problems Among Juvenile Delinquents

This study investigated the interrelationships among trauma exposure, PTSD, and mental health problems in a sample of 289 adolescents (199 male, 90 female) detained in a juvenile correctional facility. Mean differences were found in that females scored higher than males on measures of interpersonal trauma exposure and symptoms of both simple and complex PTSD. Females also endorsed more mental health problems in the areas of depression/anxiety, somatic complaints, and suicidal ideation. For all youth, trauma exposure, PTSD, and mental health problems were correlated. Results of structural equation modeling were consistent with the hypothesis that PTSD mediates the relationship between interpersonal trauma and mental health problems for all youth, although the results were stronger for females.

Revisiting the construct of boundary dissolution : A multidimensional perspective

SUMMARY The concept of boundary dissolution has a long history in both the psychodynamic and family systems literatures and is linked to a number of important processes in developmental psychopathology. However, advancements in the empirical study of boundary dissolution have been hindered by the multiplicity of terms and conceptualizations that have been used to capture the construct. The purpose of this paper is to present a multidimensional model of boundary dissolution and to show how the specific dimensions of the construct might be differentially linked to pathological processes in development. Research from a series of studies is presented that lends support to this model.

Attributions of Self-Blame and Perceived Control as Moderators of Adjustment in Battered Women

The present study explored the relationship among attributions of self-blame, perceived control, and psychological adjustment in battered women. A total of 160 women who experienced physical violence in an intimate relationship completed ratings of characterological self-blame, behavioral self-blame, perceived control, and adjustment. Women currently involved with violent partners reported the highest rates of characterological and behavioral self-blame and the lowest level of perceived control. Both dimensions of self-blame were positively correlated with symptoms. Perceived control was associated with lower symptoms. Characterological self-blame, behavioral self-blame, and perceived control moderated the relationship between violence and adjustment. The implications for understanding the process by which self-blame and perceived control moderate psychological adjustment are discussed.

Nothing really matters: Emotional numbing as a link between trauma exposure and callousness in delinquent youth

This study investigated the interrelations among trauma exposure, emotional numbing, and callous-unemotional traits in a sample of 276 youth (68 girls and 208 boys) recruited from 2 juvenile detention centers. Youth completed interview measures of trauma exposure and betrayal trauma, as well as self-report measures of emotional numbing and callous-unemotional traits. Results of path analyses using nonparametric bootstrapping procedures indicated findings consistent with the hypothesis that the association between trauma exposure and callous-unemotional traits was mediated by the general numbing of emotions, R(2) = .40, and also specifically by numbing of sadness, R(2) = .27. In addition, further analyses indicated that numbing of fear, R(2) = .18, and sadness, R(2) = .26, statistically mediated the relations to callous-unemotional traits only for those traumatic experiences involving betrayal. Gender was not found to moderate these effects.

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms are Associated with the Frequency and Severity of Delinquency Among Detained Boys

Trauma and posttraumatic stress symptoms increasingly are recognized as risk factors for involvement with the juvenile justice system, and detained youth evidence higher rates of trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to their nondetained peers. Using a sample of 83 detained boys aged 12 to 17, we tested the hypothesis that degree of PTSD symptomatology would be positively associated with arrest frequency and delinquency severity. Results indicated that 95% of participants had experienced trauma, and 20% met criteria for Full or Partial PTSD. As predicted, severity of PTSD symptoms was associated with degree of delinquency, and this effect remained present for the past year delinquency variables after controlling for the total number of traumas reported.

Trauma and Girls’ Delinquency

With US arrest rates for violent crime rising among adolescent girls, there is an increased sense of urgency about the need to better understand girls’ delinquency (Tracy et al. 2009; Wolf and Kempf-Leonard 2009). Recent thinking about girls involved in the juvenile justice system has focused on the role of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as precipitants of delinquency that are particularly salient for girls (e.g., Acoca 1998; Bloom et al. 2002; Chamberlain and Moore 2002; Graziano and Wagner 2011; Kerig 2011, in press). In this chapter, we set out to evaluate the state of the science in regard to the relations between trauma and delinquency. Along the way, we encountered many challenges – definitional, methodological, and conceptual – some expected findings, and some unexpected ones. To organize our review, we set for ourselves the task of addressing three questions: Why might PTSD be implicated specifically in girls’ delinquency; What is the evidence for a differential role of PTSD in girls’ delinquency; and What mechanisms might account for the association between PTSD and delinquency among girls? In keeping with the theme of this volume, we defined delinquency as involvement in the legal system, and thus focused our literature review on those “deep end” (Cauffman 2008) youth found in detention settings and juvenile justice samples.

Gender-role socialization in contemporary Russia: implications for cross-cultural research

This article represents a collaboration between Russian and Western researchers concerned with the cross-cultural study of gender. A contemporary Russian psychoanalytic perspective on gender role development in the context of their own culture is presented, and its relationship to the Soviet and Western research literature is explored. Historical changes are noted in the transitions from prerevolutionary peasant society to Soviet socialism and to the new reforms in Russia. A long standing ambivalence toward agentic values is described throughout these phases of Russian history, and its legacy is identified in current social problems. Difficulties inherent in using Western conceptualizations of gender roles in this different context are discussed, as are points of compatibility, and their application to an investigation of Russian gender roles is illustrated.

Assessment and Intervention for PTSD in Children Exposed to Violence

Summary Recent research has established that exposure to domestic violence is a major risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children. However, one issue that has been relatively neglected in research conducted to date concerns developmental differences: both in the expression of PTSD symptoms across childhood and adolescence, and in the techniques appropriate for assessing and intervening with PTSD in children at different ages. The available literature is reviewed concerning the conceptualization, measurement, and treatment of PTSD in children, with special attention to the case of children of battered women. Guidelines are provided for developmentally sensitive approaches to assessment and treatment.

Relational Dynamics Associated with Adolescent Dating Violence: The Roles of Rejection Sensitivity and Relational Insecurity

The significant rates of dating violence among adolescents have prompted investigations into underlying relational processes that might increase the risk for perpetration and victimization. Two relational constructs that have potential significance for predicting adolescent dating violence are rejection sensitivity and relational insecurity. This study investigated the relationships among relational insecurity, rejection sensitivity, and dating violence perpetration and victimization in a sample of 176 adolescents. Results indicated that relational insecurity fully mediated the relationship between rejection sensitivity and dating violence perpetration, and that relational insecurity was directly related to dating violence victimization. Results suggest that adolescent dating violence prevention programs might need to address victimization and perpetration in different ways.

Investigating the Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Sample of Traumatized Detained Youth

In this study, we tested the validity of a dissociative subtype in a sample of 225 detained adolescents (142 boys, 83 girls) likely meeting full or partial criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Competing theories of dissociation pose controversy regarding dissociation as a taxon versus a continuum, and results of the current study contribute to this debate by providing evidence of distinct group differences between those high and low in dissociation. Mixture modeling revealed 2 groups of youth with differing levels of depersonalization/derealization dissociative symptoms. Differences between the 2 groups of youth were investigated regarding trauma exposure and several posttraumatic reactions: posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), emotion dysregulation, and emotional numbing. Compared with youth classified in the low-dissociation group, youth who exhibited high levels of dissociation demonstrated higher levels of total PTSS, posttraumatic symptom clusters of emotional numbing, intrusion, and associated features, as well as reporting more difficulties with emotion dysregulation. To test theory regarding the factors that increase the likelihood of persistent dissociation, bootstrapped regression analyses were performed to examine the possibility of an indirect effect of peritraumatic dissociation. Results consistent with statistical mediation suggested that the presence of peritraumatic dissociation at the time of trauma may contribute to the continuation of dissociative symptoms as a more generalized pattern. The results of the current study have implications for clinical treatment with traumatized youth.