Impact of Child Abuse Timing and Family Environment on Psychosis

• NCJ Number: 221752
• Journal: Journal of Psychological Trauma Volume: 6 Issue: 2/3 Dated: 2007 Pages: 65-85
• Author(s): Jan Faust; Lindsay M. Stewart
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 21 pages
• Grant Number(s): IR29MH50340-01A3
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study compared the timing of child abuse and the degree of family conflict for 40 children ages 6 to 17, of whom 20 were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 20 were diagnosed with a psychotic disorder.

Abstract

The findings indicate that children with psychotic disorders experienced child abuse trauma earlier in their lives than children with PTSD, and they reported more family conflict. Also, mothers of children with psychotic disorders rated their families as less cohesive than did the mothers of children with PTSD. Children with psychotic disorders first experienced trauma at a mean age of 4 years and 9 months, and children with PTSD first experienced trauma at a mean age of 7 years and 9 months. This finding is consistent with the literature, which indicates that earlier adverse events may be more detrimental to children's mental health than traumatic events that occur later in childhood. The fact that abused children with psychotic symptoms reported more family conflict than children with PTSD supports the concept that individuals with psychotic symptoms have typically been raised in highly disruptive families. Further, the literature indicates that mothers of children with psychotic symptoms have had disruptions in attachment with primary caregivers, which could explain why in the current study the mothers of psychotic children reported less cohesion in their families than mothers of PTSD children. Recommendations are offered for future research that will expand upon and replicate these findings. A demographic information sheet was used to collect information on age, race, ethnicity, abuse characteristics, age at time of abuse, and gender. Both mothers and children were administered the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children, Epidemiological Version. Mothers also completed the Family Environment Scale, and the children were administered the Children's Version of the Family Environment Scale. 2 tables and 66 references