NCJ Number
225472
Journal
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Dated: November 2008 Pages: 263-278
Date Published
November 2008
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to compare the presence and magnitude of the symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in college students with a history of childhood interparental violence (CPV) versus those with childhood physical abuse (CPA) and childhood sexual abuse (CSA), or no history of abuse.
Abstract
The results indicate that having exposure to CPV was the strongest predictor of elevated symptomatology, suggesting that CPV is at least as powerful as CPA and CSA in producing symptoms of PTSD in adulthood. Researchers have suggested that based on data regarding the incidence and prevalence of child maltreatment and interparental violence, the United States is one of the most violent countries in the world. While there have been many studies that have documented the adult psychological and behavioral consequences of CPA or CSA, fewer studies have documented the long-term effects of childhood exposure to CPV. This study sought to determine which categories of abuse correlated most strongly with scores obtained on the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI) subscales measuring such symptomatology and best predicted elevation of these symptoms of PTSD in young adults. The TSI is designed to measure the extent to which respondents endorse 10 different types of trauma-related symptoms within 4 broad categories of distress: dysphoric mood, posttraumatic stress, sexual difficulties, and self-dysfunction. One hundred and eighty undergraduate students completed the TSI and a childhood history questionnaire that assessed their experience of the three types of childhood traumatic events: CPA, CSA and CPV. Tables and references