Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / This study investigated the factor analytic structure of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire(CTQ) in school-going adolescents in the greater Cape Town area. This questionnaire is a retrospective method, assessing childhood exposure to trauma in the form of emotional abuse,physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect and physical neglect (Bernstein & Fink,1998). The data used originated from a survey where several questionnaires including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire were used to examine perceived stress and resilience in adolescence. The primary study found that there is extensive published research on trauma exposure in adolescents. However, the investigators found that there is a lack of research on actual perceived stress in the context of certain traumatic experiences. This study examined one of the questionnaires used in the primary study, the CTQ. The question of how the factors cluster in a sample of 631participants between the ages of 11 and 18 was answered by using exploratory factor analysis. Three factor analyses, using principal component analysis and Varimax rotation with Kaiser Normalisation were run. The three factor analyses are (i) the entire sample (adolescents, both trauma exposed and non trauma–exposed) (ii) the sample with moderate/severe childhood trauma and (iii) the sample with mild/no childhood trauma.The results of the current study revealed that for group one, five rotated factors were yielded that accounted for 59.22% of the variance among items, for group two, eight rotated factors was extracted that accounts for 62.47% of the variance among items and for group three, nine rotated factors which accounted for 65.38% of variance among the items was yielded.After conceptual analysis, it was found that only group two held to the five-factor stucture described in the CTQ's manual. This indicates that the severity of trauma exposure does affect the factor structure of the CTQ in this sample of school-going adolescents.

Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura com o objetivo de identificar, sistematizar e analisar as evidências científicas que corroborem que ter sofrido Estresse Precoce, mensurado pelo instrumento Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), é um fator determinante no uso e abuso de substâncias psicoativas na adolescência e vida adulta. A busca foi realizada em agosto de 2014 nas bases de dados: PubMed, Web of Science, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) e Psycinfo, e utilizou-se o limite dos estudos indexados nos últimos 10 anos. Para as buscas nas bases de dados eletrônicas foram utilizadas combinações entre descritores controlados e palavras chaves relacionadas ao uso de substâncias psicoativas, estresse precoce e CTQ adaptadas para cada base de dados, as quais resultaram em 1114 estudos. Com a utilização dos filtros de idiomas Inglês, Espanhol e Português, somente artigos originais e publicações a partir do ano de 2003 até 18 de Agosto de 2014 o número de referências totais foram de 439. Após retirar os artigos duplicados em mais de uma base de dados, o número total de referências elegíveis para este estudo foi de 359. Após leitura de títulos e resumos foram selecionados para leitura na íntegra 157 estudos. Após leitura na íntegra foram excluídos aqueles textos que não respondiam a questão de pesquisa, sendo eleitos para esta revisão 08 artigos. Para extração dos dados foi utilizado um instrumento validado (URSI). A análise da descrição dos estudos foi realizada com base no instrumento STROBE, metodologia e delineamento das pesquisas foram analisadas com assessoria estatística. A análise dos dados foi descritiva e dividida em subcategorias: Estresse Precoce e Uso de Substâncias Psicoativas na Adolescência; Estresse Precoce e a Diferença Entre os Gêneros; Estresse Precoce e a Relação com Estresse e Depressão na Vida Adulta; Estresse Precoce e as Estratégias de Enfrentamento (Coping) na Vida Adulta; Estresse Precoce e o Álcool: a droga mais utilizada e porta de entrada para outras substâncias psicoativas. A partir dos estudos incluídos nessa revisão, foi possível identificar fatores que evidenciam que ter sofrido Estresse Precoce tem como um desfecho o uso abusivo de álcool e outras substâncias psicoativas na adolescência e vida adulta, em combinação com outros fatores ambientais e genéticos que influenciam o início do uso e posterior abuso das mesmas / This is an integrative literature review in order to identify, classify and analyze the scientific evidence supporting that have suffered Early Life Stress, measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), is a determining factor in the use and abuse of psychoactive substances in adolescence and adulthood. The search was conducted in August 2014 in the databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) and Psycinfo, and used the limit of the indexed studies in the last 10 years. For searches of electronic databases were used combinations of controlled descriptors and keywords related to substance abuse, early life stress and CTQ, adapted to each database, resulting in 1114 studies. With the use of the filters: English, Spanish and Portuguese language, only original articles and publications from the year 2003 until August 18, 2014, the total number of references were 439. After removing duplicate items in more than one database, the total number of references eligible for this study was 359. After reading titles and abstracts, were selected for full reading 157 studies. In the full texts, were excluded those who did not respond to the research question, being elected to this review 08 articles. For data extraction was used a validated instrument (URSI). The analysis of the description of the studies was based on the STROBE instrument. The methodology and design of the researches were analyzed with statistical advice. Data analysis was descriptive and divided into subcategories: Early Life Stress and Psychoactive Substance Use in Adolescence; Early Life Stress and the Difference Between the Genders; Early Life Stress and the Relationship with Stress and Depression in Adulthood; Early Life Stress and Coping Strategies in Adulthood; Early Life Stress and Alcohol: the most widely used drug and gateway to other psychoactive substances. From the studies included in this review, it was possible to identify factors that Early Life Stress is an outcome of the alcohol and other psychoactive abuse in adolescence and adulthood, in combination with other environmental and genetic factors, that influence the beginning of use and later abuse of them

Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura com o objetivo de identificar, sistematizar e analisar as evidências científicas que corroborem que ter sofrido Estresse Precoce, mensurado pelo instrumento Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), é um fator determinante no uso e abuso de substâncias psicoativas na adolescência e vida adulta. A busca foi realizada em agosto de 2014 nas bases de dados: PubMed, Web of Science, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) e Psycinfo, e utilizou-se o limite dos estudos indexados nos últimos 10 anos. Para as buscas nas bases de dados eletrônicas foram utilizadas combinações entre descritores controlados e palavras chaves relacionadas ao uso de substâncias psicoativas, estresse precoce e CTQ adaptadas para cada base de dados, as quais resultaram em 1114 estudos. Com a utilização dos filtros de idiomas Inglês, Espanhol e Português, somente artigos originais e publicações a partir do ano de 2003 até 18 de Agosto de 2014 o número de referências totais foram de 439. Após retirar os artigos duplicados em mais de uma base de dados, o número total de referências elegíveis para este estudo foi de 359. Após leitura de títulos e resumos foram selecionados para leitura na íntegra 157 estudos. Após leitura na íntegra foram excluídos aqueles textos que não respondiam a questão de pesquisa, sendo eleitos para esta revisão 08 artigos. Para extração dos dados foi utilizado um instrumento validado (URSI). A análise da descrição dos estudos foi realizada com base no instrumento STROBE, metodologia e delineamento das pesquisas foram analisadas com assessoria estatística. A análise dos dados foi descritiva e dividida em subcategorias: Estresse Precoce e Uso de Substâncias Psicoativas na Adolescência; Estresse Precoce e a Diferença Entre os Gêneros; Estresse Precoce e a Relação com Estresse e Depressão na Vida Adulta; Estresse Precoce e as Estratégias de Enfrentamento (Coping) na Vida Adulta; Estresse Precoce e o Álcool: a droga mais utilizada e porta de entrada para outras substâncias psicoativas. A partir dos estudos incluídos nessa revisão, foi possível identificar fatores que evidenciam que ter sofrido Estresse Precoce tem como um desfecho o uso abusivo de álcool e outras substâncias psicoativas na adolescência e vida adulta, em combinação com outros fatores ambientais e genéticos que influenciam o início do uso e posterior abuso das mesmas / This is an integrative literature review in order to identify, classify and analyze the scientific evidence supporting that have suffered Early Life Stress, measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), is a determining factor in the use and abuse of psychoactive substances in adolescence and adulthood. The search was conducted in August 2014 in the databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) and Psycinfo, and used the limit of the indexed studies in the last 10 years. For searches of electronic databases were used combinations of controlled descriptors and keywords related to substance abuse, early life stress and CTQ, adapted to each database, resulting in 1114 studies. With the use of the filters: English, Spanish and Portuguese language, only original articles and publications from the year 2003 until August 18, 2014, the total number of references were 439. After removing duplicate items in more than one database, the total number of references eligible for this study was 359. After reading titles and abstracts, were selected for full reading 157 studies. In the full texts, were excluded those who did not respond to the research question, being elected to this review 08 articles. For data extraction was used a validated instrument (URSI). The analysis of the description of the studies was based on the STROBE instrument. The methodology and design of the researches were analyzed with statistical advice. Data analysis was descriptive and divided into subcategories: Early Life Stress and Psychoactive Substance Use in Adolescence; Early Life Stress and the Difference Between the Genders; Early Life Stress and the Relationship with Stress and Depression in Adulthood; Early Life Stress and Coping Strategies in Adulthood; Early Life Stress and Alcohol: the most widely used drug and gateway to other psychoactive substances. From the studies included in this review, it was possible to identify factors that Early Life Stress is an outcome of the alcohol and other psychoactive abuse in adolescence and adulthood, in combination with other environmental and genetic factors, that influence the beginning of use and later abuse of them

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.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / The outcome of child abuse, i.e. physical, emotional and/or sexual, and child neglect is multifactorial. The severity, duration and nature of abuse and the child’s vulnerabilities are all contributory factors with regards the outcome of abuse. Children who are traumatized are likely to be profoundly affected. Studies have shown and nearly every researcher agrees that early childhood traumas lie at the root of many emotional and psychological illnesses. It has been noted that drug abuse is a major problem in the Western Cape. This thesis explored the relationship between subjectively perceived childhood trauma and drug dependence in an in-patient treatment-seeking sample of adults in the Cape Town Metropolitan Area in the Western Cape. This thesis presents the results of a measure of childhood trauma, namely the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire [CTQ] and a measure of drug dependence, the Drug Use Disorder Identification Test [DUDIT]. The sample consisted of 52 participants and included both males and females. Only participants who were identified as drug dependent were included in the study. Patients who were actively psychotic and/or alcohol dependent were not included in the study. Ethical clearance was obtained from the University of the Western Cape’s higher degree ethical committee. The anonymity of the participants, the importance of responding openly and honestly and the sensitive nature of the questions were highlighted during the test administration. Questionnaires were administered in accordance with the guidelines stipulated in the respective manuals. The data was analysed through correlation. The study found a positive correlation between childhood emotional abuse and drug dependence, and childhood physical abuse and drug dependence.

Background: Childhood maltreatment is associated with the development and maintenance of mental disorders. The purpose of this naturalistic study was (a) to identify different patterns of childhood maltreatment, (b) to examine how these patterns are linked to the severity of mental disorders and (c) whether they are predictive of treatment outcome. Methods: 742 adult patients of a university hospital for psychotherapy and psychosomatics were assessed at intake and discharge by standardized questionnaires assessing depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI) and general mental distress (Symptom Check List-90-R, SCL-90-R). Traumatic childhood experience (using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, CTQ) and ICD-10 diagnoses were assessed at intake. Results: The patients could be allocated to three different patterns of early childhood trauma experience: mild traumatization, multiple traumatization without sexual abuse and multiple traumatization with sexual abuse. The three patterns showed highly significant differences in BDI, General Severity Index (GSI) and in the number of comorbidity at intake. For both BDI and GSI a general decrease in depression and general mental distress from intake to discharge could be shown. The three patterns differed in BDI and GSI at intake and discharge, indicating lowest values for mild traumatization and highest values for multiple traumatization with sexual abuse. Patients with multiple traumatization with sexual abuse showed the least favourable outcome. Conclusion: The results provide evidence that the severity of childhood traumatization is linked to the severity of mental disorders and also to the treatment outcome in inpatient psychotherapy. In the study, three different patterns of childhood traumatization (mild traumatization, multiple traumatization without sexual abuse, multiple traumatization with sexual abuse) showed differences in the severity of mental disorder and in the course of treatment within the same therapy setting.

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) symptoms and childhood experiences, and to explore the role of Early Maladaptive Schemas and core beliefs as variables possibly mediating this relationship. Previous research with clinical samples has established a strong link between childhood maltreatment and adult BPD (& other PD) symptoms in clinical samples. However, difficulties with these studies limit the specificity of results. For example, BPD has been shown to be highly comorbid with other axis I and axis II psychiatric conditions. Given that studies examining the relationship between BPD and childhood maltreatment generally fail to control for these comorbid conditions, the specificity of their results must be questioned. Furthermore, it has been well established that childhood familial environment is strongly related to childhood maltreatment. Again studies examining the relationship between BPD and childhood maltreatment have generally failed to concurrently assess childhood familial environments, hence opening the possibility that the relationship between BPD and childhood maltreatment may be due to family functioning rather than childhood maltreatment per se. Finally, studies linking childhood maltreatment with adult BPD have primarily utilized clinical samples. However, the primary use of clinical samples to examine the aetiology of disorders in this context ignores the vast literature showing adequate psychological functio ning for the majority of individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment. Hence, the primary aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between childhood maltreatment and adult BPD symptoms in a primarily non-clinical sample whilst statistically controlling for commonly comorbid axis I and axis II symptomatology and concurrently measuring childhood familial functioning. It was a secondary aim of the current study to examine the mediating effects of beliefs on the relationship between childhood factors (i.e., childhood maltreatment & childhood familial functioning) and adult BPD symptomatology. That is, cognitive-behavioural theorists argue that personality disorders may be triggered by adverse childhood experiences leading to maladaptive beliefs (or schemas) related to the self, others, and the world, and it is these beliefs which lead to the behavioural disturbances evident in personality disorders. One hundred and eighty-five primarily non-clinical participants completed questionnaires measuring a variety of axis I and axis II symptoms, early maladaptive schemas and core beliefs, as well as retrospective reports of family functioning and childhood maltreatment. Results showed a significant relationship between childhood factors and adult BPD symptomatology. For example, the largest correlation between BPD symptoms and a childhood factor was .27 (for childhood emotional abuse). Furthermore, early maladaptive schemas and core beliefs were found to mediate the relationship between childhood factors and adult BPD symptomatology thus supporting cognitive-behavioural theories of personality disorders. However, early maladaptive schemas and core beliefs were also found to mediate the relationship between childhood factors and other Axis I and Axis II symptoms. Hence, it was concluded that while there was some support for a cognitive mediation hypothesis for BPD symptoms, future research is needed in exploring the specificity of the cognitive mediation hypothesis for BPD.

The experience of complex childhood trauma produces a ripple-effect that psychologically impacts trauma survivors’ functioning in multiple areas. The aim of the current study was to investigate and describe the interplay between complex trauma, subsequent personality development and later psychopathology by means of the multiple case study method of six female psychiatric patients attending treatment at a tertiary psychiatric hospital within Gauteng, South Africa. This was accomplished by assessing and qualitatively analysing the results of a carefully selected battery of personality and other psychometric assessments presented to study participants. The results indicated that the experience of complex childhood trauma impacted the study participants’ personality in predictable ways, which further influenced the psychopathology they displayed as psychiatric patients. These findings aid in describing the psychological impact of complex trauma on the research participants, and also offers support for reconnecting past traumas to the current psychopathologies of psychiatric patients. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)