Given the importance of early prevention and intervention strategies for children exposed to trauma, detection of early risk factors for exposure to traumatic events in childhood is critical. The present study examined associations between three known prenatal risk factors that characterize environmental instability in utero—prenatal substance exposure, prenatal violence victimization, and unintended pregnancy—and child exposure to interparental violence and other adverse experiences in a sample of 198 mother–child dyads (
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Key theoretical frameworks have proposed that examining the impact of exposure to specific dimensions of stress at specific developmental periods is likely to yield important insight into processes of risk and resilience. Utilizing a sample of
- Award ID(s):
- 2145372
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10528252
- Publisher / Repository:
- Development and Psychopathology
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Development and Psychopathology
- Volume:
- 35
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 0954-5794
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 2288 to 2301
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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ABSTRACT M child age = 44.48 months) referred to a hospital clinic for treatment following exposure to trauma. Prenatal substance and violence exposure were associated with child trauma exposure, and prenatal violence victimization was also associated with maternal severity ratings of traumatic exposures. Unintended pregnancy was not associated with child trauma exposure or severity. These findings expand our understanding of prenatal risk factors for trauma exposure in childhood and, specifically, highlight prenatal substance exposure and violence victimization as risk factors for subsequent exposure to trauma in early childhood. Results suggest that prenatal prevention and intervention programs should target reducing maternal substance use and in‐utero exposure to violence. -
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Abstract Objective Many individuals diagnosed with an eating disorder (ED) have been exposed to traumatic events, and some of these individuals are diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although theorized by researchers and clinicians, it is unclear whether traumatic event exposure or PTSD interferes with outcomes from ED treatment. The objective of the current study was to systematically review the literature on traumatic events and/or PTSD as either predictors or moderators of psychological treatment outcomes in EDs.
Method A PRISMA search was conducted to identify studies that assessed the longitudinal association between traumatic events or PTSD and ED outcomes. Eighteen articles met the inclusion criteria for review.
Results Results indicated that traumatic event exposure was associated with greater ED treatment dropout, but individuals with a traumatic event history benefited from treatment similarly to their unexposed peers. Findings also indicated that traumatic events may be associated with greater symptom relapse posttreatment.
Discussion Given the limited number of studies examining PTSD, results are considered very tentative; however, similar to studies comparing trauma‐exposed and nontrauma‐exposed participants, individuals with PTSD may have similar treatment gains compared to individuals without PTSD, but individuals with PTSD may experience greater symptom relapse posttreatment. Future researchers are encouraged to examine whether trauma‐informed care or integrated treatment for EDs and PTSD mitigates dropout from treatment and improves symptom remission outcomes. Furthermore, researchers are encouraged to examine how the developmental timing of traumatic events, self‐perceived impact of trauma, and cumulative trauma exposure may be associated with differential ED treatment outcomes.
Public Significance Eating disorders (EDs), trauma, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often co‐occur. Individuals with traumatic event exposure and/or PTSD demonstrate greater ED symptoms; it is unclear whether these individuals benefit similarly in ED treatment to their peers. The current study found that individuals with traumatic event exposure are more likely to drop out of treatment but benefit from treatment with similar symptom remission. Traumatic history was associated with greater relapse posttreatment.
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Abstract Children make up over half of the world's migrants and refugees and face a multitude of traumatic experiences prior to, during, and following migration. Here, we focus on migrant children emigrating from Mexico and Central America to the United States and review trauma related to migration, as well as its implications for the mental health of migrant and refugee children. We then draw upon the early adversity literature to highlight potential behavioral and neurobiological sequalae of migration‐related trauma exposure, focusing on attachment, emotion regulation, and fear learning and extinction as transdiagnostic mechanisms underlying the development of internalizing and externalizing symptomatology following early‐life adversity. This review underscores the need for interdisciplinary efforts to both mitigate the effects of trauma faced by migrant and refugee youth emigrating from Mexico and Central America and, of primary importance, to prevent child exposure to trauma in the context of migration. Thus, we conclude by outlining policy recommendations aimed at improving the mental health of migrant and refugee youth.
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Migrant and refugee children commonly experience traumatic events and stressful conditions along their migration journeys. Migration-related trauma can have persisting effects on children's mental health. Developmental neuroscience suggests neural mechanisms that connect these experiences to mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder. This research review, focused on migrant families emigrating from Mexico, Central America, and Haiti and bound for the United States, first overviews the nature of trauma exposure faced by migrant families and next delineates potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of migration-related trauma on youth mental health. Finally, detailed policy recommendations relate to (1) providing mental health care, (2) addressing chronic stressors in the context of daily life, and (3) preventing migration-related trauma.
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Boon-Peng, Hoh (Ed.)Responses to early life adversity differ greatly across individuals. Elucidating which factors underlie this variation can help us better understand how to improve health trajectories. Here we used a case:control study of refugee and non-refugee youth, differentially exposed to war-related trauma, to investigate the effects of genetics and psychosocial environment on response to trauma. We investigated genetic variants in two genes (serotonin transporter, 5-HTT , and catechol-O-methyltransferase, COMT ) that have been implicated in response to trauma. We collected buccal samples and survey data from 417 Syrian refugee and 306 Jordanian non-refugee youth who were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial to evaluate a mental health-focused intervention. Measures of lifetime trauma exposure, resilience, and six mental health and psychosocial stress outcomes were collected at three time points: baseline, ~13 weeks, and ~48 weeks. We used multilevel models to identify gene x environment (GxE) interactions and direct effects of the genetic variants in association with the six outcome measures over time. We did not identify any interactions with trauma exposure, but we did identify GxE interactions with both genes and resilience; 1) individuals with high expression (HE) variants of 5-HTTLPR and high levels of resilience had the lowest levels of perceived stress and 2) individuals homozygous for the Val variant of COMT with high levels of resilience showed stable levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms. We also identified a direct protective effect of 5-HTTLPR HE homozygotes on perceived insecurity. Our results point to novel interactions between the protective effects of genetic variants and resilience, lending support to ideas of differential susceptibility and altered stress reactivity in a cohort of war-affected adolescents.more » « less
