Traumatic childhood experiences in the 21st century: Broadening and building on the ACE studies with data from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network
Date
2014
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Publisher
Journal of interpersonal violence
Abstract
The study objectives were to (a) examine the association between total
number of trauma types experienced and child/adolescent behavioral
problems and (b) determine whether the number of trauma types experienced predicted youth behavioral problems above and beyond
demographic characteristics, using a diverse set of 20 types of trauma. Data
came from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network’s (NCTSN) Core
Data Set (CDS), which includes youth assessed and treated for trauma
across the United States. Participants who experienced at least one type of
trauma were included in the sample (N = 11,028; age = 1½-18 years; 52.3%
girls). Random effects models were used to account for possible intraclass
correlations given treatment services were provided at different NCTSN
centers. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate associations
among demographic characteristics, trauma, and emotional and behavioral
problems as measured by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Significant
dose–response relations were found between total number of trauma
types and behavior problems for all CBCL scales, except Sleep, one of the
subscales only administered to 1½- to 5-year-olds. Thus, each additional
trauma type endorsed significantly increased the odds for scoring above the
clinical threshold. Results provide further evidence of strong associations
between diverse traumatic childhood experiences and a diverse range of
behavior problems, and underscore the need for a trauma-informed public
health and social welfare approach to prevention, risk reduction, and early
intervention for traumatized youth.
Description
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Keywords
complex trauma, cumulative interpersonal trauma, child/adolescent behavioral problems, research, prevention, intervention
Citation
Greeson, J. K., Briggs, E. C., Layne, C. M., Belcher, H. M., Ostrowski, S. A., Kim, S., ... & Fairbank, J. A. (2014). Traumatic childhood experiences in the 21st century: Broadening and building on the ACE studies with data from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Journal of interpersonal violence, 29(3), 536-556.