Examining child sexual abuse in relation to complex patterns of trauma exposure: Findings from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Date
2014
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy
Abstract
Chronic, interpersonal traumas within the caregiving system are associated with a range of symptoms,
functional impairments, and trauma history profiles. This study utilized data from the National Child
Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Core Data Set (CDS) to examine the role of child sexual abuse in
combination with other types of caregiver-related trauma (physical abuse, domestic violence, emotional
abuse, neglect, and impaired caregiving). These trauma composites were assessed in relation to clinical
profiles, including mental health symptoms, risk behaviors, and functional difficulties. Groups included
multiply traumatized youth with a documented history of: (a) 3 or more caregiver-related traumas with
co-occurring sexual abuse (CR CSA group, N 501); (b) 3 or more caregiver-related traumas without
co-occurring sexual abuse (CR group, N 1,108); and (c) 3 or more noncaregiver-related traumas (e.g.,
medical trauma, natural disaster, physical/sexual assault; non-CR group, N 142). Youth with caregiverrelated
traumas had significantly earlier onset and longer duration of traumas compared to other
traumatized youth. Child sexual abuse had an additive and potent predictive effect on clinical profiles,
even in combination with other caregiver-related traumas. Although youth with caregiver-related traumas
exhibited significant attachment problems, youth with sexual abuse in particular had higher levels of
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and received higher ratings for symptoms of depression, suicidality,
and sexualized behaviors in comparison with the other 2 groups. Findings suggest that careful
mapping of trauma history, including age of onset, duration, and co-occurrence of trauma exposure in
childhood, can provide a foundation for a more refined developmental approach to the scientific
investigation, clinical assessment, and treatment of children with complex histories of trauma in
childhood.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
child sexual abuse, complex trauma, complex PTSD, clinical profiles
Citation
Kisiel, C., Fehrenbach, T., Liang, L. J., Stolbach, B., McClelland, G., Griffin, G., ... & Spinazzola, J. (2014). Examining child sexual abuse in relation to complex patterns of trauma exposure: Findings from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 6(S1), S29.
URI
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Christopher_Layne/publication/268506143_Examining_Child_Sexual_Abuse_in_Relation_to_Complex_Patterns_of_Trauma_Exposure_Findings_From_the_National_Child_Traumatic_Stress_Network/links/54781cf00cf2a961e4849504/Examining-Child-Sexual-Abuse-in-Relation-to-Complex-Patterns-of-Trauma-Exposure-Findings-From-the-National-Child-Traumatic-Stress-Network.pdf
http://hdl.handle.net/11212/3495
http://hdl.handle.net/11212/3495