Polyvictimization, Emotion Dysregulation, Symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Behavioral Health Problems Among Justice Involved Youth: A Latent Class Analysis

Date

2019

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

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

Description

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.

DOI