Les traumatismes infantiles (TI) sont un facteur de vulnérabilité majeur à la schizophrénie. Nous avons ici choisi d'étudier l’impact des TI sur le cerveau dans la schizophrénie.Dans notre première étude, en voxel-based morphometry (VBM) et portant sur 21 schizophrènes et 30 contrôles, la négligence émotionnelle était associée à une diminution du volume total de matière grise dans les deux groupes. Cette association était plus marquée chez les schizophrènes. Chez les patients, la négligence émotionnelle était prédictive de la densité de matière grise du cortex préfrontal dorso-latéral, elle-même prédictive de la sévérité de la désorganisation.Dans notre seconde étude, nous avons utilisé une tâche émotionnelle en IRMf pour explorer les liens entre TI et connectivité fonctionnelle PPI (psychophysiological interaction) de l’amygdale chez 21 schizophrènes et 25 contrôles. Au cours de la tâche, chez les patients, la sévérité des abus sexuels et négligences physiques été associée à une diminution de connectivité entre l’amygdale et la région du cortex cingulaire postérieur/précunéus.Enfin le résultat le plus répliqué de notre revue de la littérature (15 articles d'imagerie) est l’association forte entre TI et diminution du volume total de matière grise. Chez les schizophrènes les TI étaient associés à des diminutions de matière grise au niveau du cortex préfrontal, à des altérations de l’intégrité de la matière blanche et à des altérations de connectivité fonctionnelle.Ainsi nos résultats suggèrent que les TI, interagissant avec d'autres facteurs de vulnérabilité, pourraient modeler la psychopathologie schizophrénique via des effets cérébraux neurodéveloppementaux. / Childhood trauma (CT) is a major risk afctir for schizophrenia. The aim of this work was to question the possible impact of CT on the brain of schizophrenia patients.In our first study, using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in 21 patients with schizophrenia and 30 controls, childhood emotional neglect was associated with decreased total grey matter volume in both groups, with a stronger association in the patients group. In schizophrenia, emotional neglect predicted grey matter decrease in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, which in turn predicted the severity of disorganization.In our second study, we used an fMRI emotional task with PPI (psychophysiological interaction) in 21 schizophrenia patients and 25 controls. During the emotional task, in schizophrenia group, sexual abuse and physical neglect during childhood were associated with decreased connectivity between the amygdala and the precuneus/posterior cingulate region.Finaly, the most replicated result in our review is the strong association between CT and decreased total grey matter volume. In addition, CT in schizophrenia patients is related to decreased prefrontal cortex grey matter, widespread alterations of white matter integrity and alterations of functional connectivity in a network including the amygdala, the anterior cingular cortex, the precuneus/posterior cingulate region and the temporo-parietal junction.Our findings suggest that CT, in interaction with other factors, could shape the psychopathology of schizophrenia through developmental effects on the brain, with predominent alterations in the prefrontal cortex, or in stress-related circuits affecting self-consciousness and social cognition.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) has been linked to a number of adverse effects including hypersexuality (HYP), substance use (SUB), suicidality (SUI), and depression (DEP). Despite a plethora of research on CSA, little is known about how it affects adolescents and the cultural factors that influence their coping styles. This study was founded on social-cultural coping theory and the model of traumagenic dynamics of sexual abuse, suggesting that CSA consequences lead to maladaptive coping mechanisms influenced by sociocultural factors. Using archival data, log-linear analysis was conducted to examine gender differences within racial/ethnic groups in HYP, SUI, DEP, and SUB among adolescent survivors of CSA in a National sample of 13,583 male and female high school students. The purpose of the study was to identify differences in the effects of CSA as manifested by variations of maladaptive coping across racial/ethnic groups and gender. Boys were significantly more likely to use substances, while girls were more likely to experience depressive symptoms and suicidality. Notably, this study did not reveal any significant racial/ethnic differences in adolescent coping. Findings from this study can inform treatment planning and interventions for adolescents who may present with DEP, SUI, SUB, or risky sexual behaviors, but may have underlying trauma from CSA. This study offers positive social change by contributing to the knowledge base about the processes that take place within adolescent CSA survivors, shedding light on cultural nuances among adolescent coping, and informing culturally-competent practice. These findings can ultimately assist in the development of tailored treatment interventions for the prevention of adverse long term effects of adolescent CSA.

Historically, kinky sexualities and sexual behaviors have been understood as pathological or perverse. Such misunderstandings and misrepresentations have contributed to the development and perpetuation of kink stigma. The aim of this retrospective, cross-sectional, correlational research study was to explore the potential relationship(s) between pathology, personality, and kinky sexual behaviors/roles in adulthood. Guided by queer-feminist theory, the research questions addressed whether personality traits, experiences of childhood trauma, or a combination thereof, were predictors for kinky behaviors/roles in adulthood. A multi measure, anonymous, and confidential survey was distributed online including the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale as a childhood trauma questionnaire, the Mini-IPIP, and the sadomasochism checklist. Multiple regression analyses were used, and the results showed that experiences of childhood trauma, personality characteristics, or the combination of both were not significant predictors for kinky sexual behaviors in adulthood. Among the sample surveyed, there were no significant relationships found between the variables to provide sufficient evidence to support the negative perceptions and stigmatization of the kinky population. These findings contribute to social change by better informing deficiencies in the historical pathology-based and personality-based academic literature on kinky sexualities. Additionally, the findings of the present study provide others with an increased awareness and understanding of the kink community and lifestyles which benefits evolving society and psychological professionals, scholars, and the kink community.

The purpose of the following study was to explore and examine the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and coping methods among social work students at a Southern California university. The literature on ACE scores suggests that higher levels of ACE can impact well-being and functioning in adults, yet, provides limited information relating to social work. A quantitative survey instrument constructed by Felitti and colleagues (1998) and two additional questions relating to coping methods and strategies were constructed by the researchers were used to gather data for the purpose of this study. Data for the following study was collected through a self-administered, online questionnaire distributed by a Southern California university school of social work administration via Qualtrics online survey software. The data was analyzed with SPSS software, using descriptive statistics, frequencies, and independent sample t-tests. The study’s results suggest that social work students, in general, have higher ACE scores than are found in the general population. The majority of respondents reported having more than 2 instances of ACE. Yet, less than half of respondents reported using effective, healthy coping methods to cope with experiences of childhood hood trauma. These findings suggest that schools of social work, and the agencies that employee their graduates, should consider providing enhances, supports, and training for social work students and professionals coping with ACE events.

Young's schema theory offers a theoretical approach that relates negative childhood experiences, temperament, and early maladaptive schema, to the experience of negative affect and/or depression in adulthood. However, despite the widespread use of schema therapy in clinical practice, little research has explored the pathways theorized by Young. This study explored the pathways posited by Young and colleagues looking at the direct and indirect relationships among negative childhood experience, temperament, early maladaptive schema, and the experience of negative affect in adulthood. Self-report data were collected from 365 undergraduate students. Results demonstrated consistent and robust direct relationships between temperament and negative affect, as well as indirect relationships between temperament and/or NCE, schema, and the outcome of negative affect. Results, though mixed, reveal strengths of the schema therapy model and provide suggestions for future research.

<p>The main aim of the current study is to examine the relationship between community violence exposure and the development of psychopathology and examine the relationship between community violence exposure and other types of trauma, that is, childhood trauma and stressful life events. It was hypothesised that exposure to community violence will have a high correlation with development of psychological disorders such as mood and anxiety and psychotic disorders. The main study employed a quantitative research design in order to determine the relationship between PTSD in children and adolescents. The current study used secondary data to measure the correlation between exposure to community violence and the development of psychopathology. The data for this study was collected from 132 consecutive referrals between the ages of 13 to 19 (mean age = 15.4, SD = 1.6) from a youth stress clinic at a university in the Western Cape. Findings indicated that community violence prevalence was higher than previous South African studies but lower compared to American studies. There was generally a high prevalence of PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD) in this sample compared to previous South African studies. An unexpected outcome was that even though there was a high prevalence of PTSD, there was no relationship between community violence exposure and PTSD in this sample, rather, community violence exposure was related to MDD. Furthermore, MDD and not PTSD was related to experiences of childhood trauma. Stressful life events were related to acute stress disorder (ASD).</p>

In directed forgetting research, participants are instructed to forget information recently learned, and asked instead to remember new information given later. When asked to recall both the to-be-remembered and the to-be-forgotten information, participants successfully exhibit directed forgetting by recalling more to-be-remembered material, than to-be-forgotten material. In the present study, two directed forgetting list method experiments were conducted on undergraduate students of psychology (n = 25; n = 78). The aim of the study was to see if retrieval inhibition between participants with or without traumatic childhood experiences differed, when presented with negative or positive words. All participants were screened for childhood trauma with the CTQ-SF. The participants in the second experiment were additionally screened for dissociation with the DES-II. While Experiment 1, possibly due to small sample size failed to attain a directed forgetting effect, Experiment 2 succeeded. The issue of childhood trauma did not influence the directed forgetting effect.

While men retain the highest rates of incarcerations, the female prison population has tripled in the last decade (Covington, 2007; Henderson, 1998). The goal of this study was to examine micro-level forces, such as social support, substance use, and childhood trauma, in a sample of 188 recently incarcerated women, aged 18-58. Using an ANOVA with ages grouped 18-29, 30-39, and 40-58, age differences in substance use were identified, with the 30-39 year old group reporting more alcohol and drug use than the 18-29 year old group. There were no age differences on social support or childhood trauma. Multiple regression analyses revealed that older age and less social support predicted more alcohol use and older age alone predicted drug use. These results illustrate a need for deeper exploration of these micro forces across the life course of incarcerated women and the need for age-specific programs with at-risk populations to address different use patterns.

<p>The main aim of the current study is to examine the relationship between community violence exposure and the development of psychopathology and examine the relationship between community violence exposure and other types of trauma, that is, childhood trauma and stressful life events. It was hypothesised that exposure to community violence will have a high correlation with development of psychological disorders such as mood and anxiety and psychotic disorders. The main study employed a quantitative research design in order to determine the relationship between PTSD in children and adolescents. The current study used secondary data to measure the correlation between exposure to community violence and the development of psychopathology. The data for this study was collected from 132 consecutive referrals between the ages of 13 to 19 (mean age = 15.4, SD = 1.6) from a youth stress clinic at a university in the Western Cape. Findings indicated that community violence prevalence was higher than previous South African studies but lower compared to American studies. There was generally a high prevalence of PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD) in this sample compared to previous South African studies. An unexpected outcome was that even though there was a high prevalence of PTSD, there was no relationship between community violence exposure and PTSD in this sample, rather, community violence exposure was related to MDD. Furthermore, MDD and not PTSD was related to experiences of childhood trauma. Stressful life events were related to acute stress disorder (ASD).</p>

Being a mother is often described as a difficult but rewarding experience. Maternal parenting reward (PR) may serve an important function, helping to facilitate responsive maternal care and healthy infant development. However, it should not be taken for granted that the rewards of parenting will emerge naturally for women, particularly women who were abused by their own caregivers in childhood, within family systems that enabled or perpetuated the abuse. Despite an abundance of research on the neurobiological correlates of PR, surprisingly little is known about mothers’ self-reported experience of PR, both in general and in relation to early adversity. The aims of this survey-based dissertation were to develop and psychometrically evaluate a PR self-report measure, and to determine the extent to which childhood abuse predicts short-term (family betrayal) and long-term (maternal depression, posttraumatic stress, and problematic substance use) sequelae of abuse that are associated with diminished PR. In Study 1, with 203 mothers of young children, the final 14-item questionnaire assessed PR in a way that was not confounded with social desirability or maternal demographic characteristics, and was distinct from the related constructs of parenting pleasure and satisfaction. On average, mothers reported being highly rewarded by parenting, though there were individual differences in PR within and across mothers. In Study 2, with 270 mothers of young children, maternal history of childhood psychological and sexual abuse by caregivers each predicted diminished PR indirectly. Childhood psychological abuse was strongly associated with family betrayal, or actions and inactions by the family of origin that enabled or perpetuated abuse, which in turn predicted recent maternal depression and posttraumatic stress, each of which predicted diminished PR. The association between childhood sexual abuse and diminished PR was mediated by increased maternal posttraumatic stress symptoms only, not by family betrayal or alcohol use problems related to posttraumatic stress, as hypothesized. Although alcohol use problems predicted diminished PR at the bivariate level, they did not predict PR in the full model. Maternal childhood abuse by caregivers is indirectly associated with disruptions to the social rewards of attachment, with potential intergenerational consequences for the mother-infant relationship and infant development. / 10000-01-01