Objective: Child maltreatment (CM) is a widespread problem associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes. The underlying mechanisms of this link are not always well understood, however certain biological changes observed in maltreated individuals may play a role in connecting experience and outcome. This review specifically focuses on two markers of biological embedding, DNA methylation (DNAm) and telomere length (TL) in maltreated children and youth. As biomarker changes are not uniform among maltreated children, we additionally discuss biological and environmental resilience factors that may contribute to variability. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of Medline, Embase and PsycInfo databases for studies examining DNAm and/or TL in maltreated children and youth. Methodological quality of the included articles was assessed using the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) checklists for cohort studies and randomized control trials. Data extraction focused on various factors including population and CM (type, chronicity, severity, and duration) characteristics. Results: The initial search returned 1,688 non-duplicate results, with 417 full text articles reviewed. Twenty-six articles from 16 studies were ultimately included of which 8 examined telomere length and 18 examined DNA methylation. Conclusions: While some heterogeneity of findings was found, evidence supports differential changes in both biomarkers associated with CM. This review enhances understanding of the constellation of biological changes related to CM and consideration of the important role of resilience factors in mitigating risk. Elucidating these factors may highlight targets for future study and intervention development. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Child maltreatment is a serious problem linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes. The mechanisms of these links are not always clear, however biological changes observed in some maltreated individuals may play a role. Here, we systematically review literature related to two biomarkers of interest in maltreated children, telomere length and DNA methylation. Findings are varied; however, overall, they support an association between child maltreatment and changes in both biomarkers. We additionally discuss factors that may confer resilience related to these changes to highlight potential targets for future study and interventions.

Childhood maltreatment is an experience that is likely to have lasting effects on individuals' emotional and behavioral functioning throughout their lifetimes. In particular, childhood maltreatment often is implicated in the etiology of numerous unfavorable psychological outcomes. Other research also suggested that there is a relationship between child maltreatment and the style of attachment that individuals exhibit post-abuse. Lastly, an association exists between individuals' attachment styles and their emotional and behavioral functioning. Despite substantial documentation of these relationships, few studies examine childhood maltreatment, attachment, and emotional and behavioral functioning collectively. As a result, this study examined the relationships among childhood maltreatment, attachment relationships, and later emotional and behavioral functioning, including eating behaviors. In addition, this study examined the role that attachment serves in the relationship between child maltreatment and later functioning. One hundred participants completed five questionnaires assessing experiences of childhood maltreatment, attachment relationships, emotional and behavioral functioning, and eating behaviors. Results of this study indicated that those individuals who report childhood maltreatment are more likely to report unfavorable emotional and behavioral functioning, whereas those who report childhood maltreatment but who exhibit a secure attachment style to either a parent or a peer are less likely to exhibit unfavorable emotional and behavioral functioning. Further, both the experience of childhood maltreatment and attachment were significant predictors of individuals' emotional and behavioral functioning. Finally, attachment contributed unique significant variance to the relationship between childhood maltreatment and emotional and behavioral functioning, particularly participants' internalizing and total problems.; Such findings suggested that secure attachment may serve as a protective factor against problematic emotional and behavioral symptoms as children reach emerging adulthood, even when individuals have had childhood maltreatment experiences earlier in their lives. The importance of studying the relationships among these variables is discussed.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death worldwide for adolescents and emerging adults. Despite knowledge of distal risk factors for suicide (i.e., childhood maltreatment), there is a dearth of developmentally informed psychobiological theories of suicide that test potentially modifiable proximal risk factors. Utilizing a multi-method design, this study integrates cognitive and biological risk factors into a model of suicide risk following maltreatment. Undergraduates completed a screener assessing medical history, trait reward and threat sensitivities, history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), and childhood maltreatment. Participants without a history of autoimmune disease completed a reward and threat-salient acute stress task with pre- and post-task blood draws to measure peripheral inflammatory biomarkers. Utilizing ecological momentary assessment, a subset of participants with a history of suicidal ideation completed daily measures (three per day) of STBs and state reward and threat sensitivities for two-weeks before completing follow-up measures of STBs. Mediation models found that inflammatory reactivity to acute stress did not explain the relationship between maltreatment and ideation across the two-week follow-up, but those participants with greater TNF-α reactivity to an acute stress task reported more severe ideation at the study visit. Moderated mediation models showed that the association between inflammatory reactivity and suicidality was not significantly amplified by reward or threat sensitivity. But, at trait and state levels, those with histories of maltreatment who were less sensitive to rewards and more aware of potential threats experienced the most severe ideation. This investigation aimed to understand the processes that immediately precede STBs to inform future prevention and intervention efforts. / Psychology

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This thesis focuses on the skills necessary to detect children being at risk from the adults in their surroundings based on the signals that the children manifest. The specific signs are described in the theoretical part, for example, different child expressions (on psychological, physical or behavioural level etc.) which can accompany risk exposure. The thesis also focuses on analysis of different environments in which these signals can be detected (family, school, medical examination etc.). Risk factors of children being exposed to danger in their own families are also analysed. Knowledge of these factors can facilitate the detection by surrounding people. The empirical part examines the signals most frequently used for the detection of children at risk by the adults in their proximity, as well as signs which don't get much attention (the adults are unable to perceive those signals, or they don't consider them as important). This analysis uses the data from "Children Crisis Center" (Dětské krizové centrum). Quantitative content analysis was used for the data survey. The quantity of signals registered by the family carers was compared to the quantity of signals only discovered by psychological examination. The conclusion reached by this analysis suggests, that family carers are not yet very...

Several studies have found a number of internalizing (i.e., depressive and anxiety disorders) and externalizing (i.e., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional-defiant disorder) disorders to be prevalent among youth who have experienced child maltreatment. Several studies have also demonstrated that aspects of the maltreatment experiences and family environment may potentially predict the severity or magnitude of psychopathology among maltreated children. The purpose of this study was to determine potential abuse-related (i.e., frequency, severity, relation to perpetrator, age at onset, other forms of maltreatment) and family environment (i.e., cohesion, adaptability) predictors of psychological comorbidity in sexually abused children with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants included 75 (56 female) clinically-referred children and adolescents aged 5.89-17.12 years (mean=10.95, SD=3.114) and their parents. Measures included the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, Epidemiological Version, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales, third edition, and a questionnaire assessing demographic and abuse-related information. Based on diagnostic status, participants were assigned to the Simple PTSD group (no comorbid diagnoses), the Internalizing group (met criteria for a depressive or anxiety disorder but no externalizing disorders), or the Global group (met criteria for an externalizing disorder and may or may not have met criteria for an internalizing disorder). Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated and odds ratio cutoff values were utilized to determine clinically significant predictors of comorbidity group. Results indicated that males were more likely to be in one of the comorbid groups (either Internalizing or Global groups) than females, and those who were abused multiple times were more likely to be in one of the two comorbid groups than participants who experienced one incident of abuse. Similarly, participants who had lower levels of family cohesion and adaptability were more likely to be in one of the comorbid groups than those who had higher levels of family cohesion and adaptability. Younger participants and those who had experienced penetration were more likely to have an externalizing diagnosis (i.e., be in the Global group) than older participants and those who had experienced less physically invasive forms of sexual abuse. Results are discussed in light of previous research and theoretical models of heterogeneous presentations of childhood traumatic stress.

INTRODUCTION: Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem that affects all countries and cultures alike. Child maltreatment, which includes neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse, can result in negative consequences that are lifelong and irreversible. Previous studies have shown the prevalence of all forms of child abuse in India, which is also home to one fifth of the world’s children. However, adequate resources and efforts are not being made to understand the true scope of this problem. AIM: The present study utilized an existing measure, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), to understand how parents from the South Indian culture defined acceptable child rearing practices and physical and emotional child abuse. The items from the physical and emotional abuse subscales on the CTQ were also tested for validity and reliability. It was hypothesized that fathers would report higher scores on the physical abuse subscale and mothers would report higher scores on the emotional abuse subscale. It was also hypothesized that parents would find spanking to be an acceptable form of discipline and note that both child physical and emotional abuse are not prevalent in the South Indian community residing in the United States. METHODS: This study recruited 41 participants (21 mothers and 20 fathers) to complete the CTQ. Of the total number of participants, ten were randomly assigned to participate in an in-depth interview, which focused on how parents in the South Indian community in Georgia interpreted the items on the CTQ and how parents defined child physical and emotional abuse. Reliability and validity testing was conducted using data analysis software SPSS 23.0. Qualitative analysis of the interviews involved Consensual Qualitative Research, identifying common themes among all ten interviews. RESULTS: Quantitative analysis revealed low to moderate internal consistency for the emotional abuse scale (α = 0.65) and moderate to high internal consistency for the physical abuse scale (α = 0.88). Independent t-test results showed that fathers reported higher scores on both the physical and emotional abuse subscale; however, these results were not significant. Using the Consensual Qualitative Research method, six domains were determined from the interviews. These included: (a) parent perspectives on child rearing practices, (b) spanking as a discipline practice, (c) country differences between India and the United States regarding discipline, (d) prevalence of abuse among the South Indian community in the United States, (e) reporting child abuse, and (f) parents’ awareness of resources to develop parenting skills. A majority of participants reported spanking as an acceptable form of discipline and believed that neither child physical nor emotional abuse was prevalent in the South Indian community in the United States. CONCLUSION: This study serves as formative research and encourages further investigation of different forms of child abuse in Indian populations, specifically child physical and emotional abuse. Understanding how a culture views children and child rearing practices is important in determining how abuse is defined within said culture. Societies that are more lenient and accepting of violence in general are at a greater risk for perpetrating the maltreatment of children. Establishing a concise definition of child abuse will aid in the development of valid measures that will determine the actual scope of the problem and create solutions, such as laws and policies that will shift a society’s view on appropriate interactions with children.