Polyvictimization, Emotion Dysregulation, Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Behavioral Health Problems Among Justice Involved Youth: A Latent Class Analysis
Date
2019
Journal Title
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Journal of abnormal child psychology
Abstract
Among the 90% of adolescents involved in juvenile justice who have experienced traumatic
victimization, a sub-group may be at highest risk due to histories of multiple types of
interpersonal and non-interpersonal trauma, termed polyvictimization. Person-centered analyses,
such as latent class analysis, have identified polyvictimized subgroups in several studies of
adolescents and adults, but only one person-centered study of traumatic victimization has been
conducted with justice-involved youth. The current investigation replicates and extends that
study’s findings using latent class analysis in order to assess a wider range of victimization- and
nonvictimization-related adversities and additional potential sequelae, including emotion
dysregulation, DSM-5 symptom clusters of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and behavioral
health problems such as substance use, anger, depression, somatic complaints, and suicide
ideation. Latent class analysis with a large sample of juvenile detainees yielded three discrete
classes: mixed adversity (N = 327; 22.3% girls), violent environment (N = 337; 12.8% girls), and
polyvictimization (N = 145; 64.8% girls). Youth in the polyvictimization class were more likely
than all other youth to report exposure to traumatic events, emotion dysregulation, all PTSD
symptom clusters, depression symptoms, somatic complaints, and suicidality. Youth in the
violent environment class reported higher levels of emotion dysregulation and psychological
problems than mixed adversity youths. Findings suggest that most justice-involved youth have
experienced substantial adversity, but sub-groups who are polyvictimized or violence-exposed
should be identified and targeted for services addressing emotion dysregulation and complex
comorbid PTSD symptoms
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Keywords
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), poly-victimization, child abuse, research, adolescents, long term effects
Citation
Charak, R., Ford, J. D., Modrowski, C. A., & Kerig, P. K. (2019). Polyvictimization, emotion dysregulation, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, and behavioral health problems among justice-involved youth: A latent class analysis. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 47(2), 287-298.