Contribution of Childhood Emotional Abuse to Teen Dating Violence Among Child Protective Services-Involved Youth

• NCJ Number: 226371
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 33 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2009 Pages: 45-58
• Author(s): Christine Wekerle; Eman Leung; Anne-Marie Wall; Harriet MacMillan; Michael Boyle; Nico Trocme; Randall Waechter
• Date Published: January 2009
• Length: 14 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR); Public Health Agency of Canada
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the distinctive influence of childhood emotional abuse on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as dating violence among 402 youth in an active caseload of a large urban child protective services agency; and PTSD symptomatology was assessed as an explanatory bridge in the link between emotional abuse and teen dating violence.

Abstract

Taking into account other forms of maltreatment, emotional abuse (defined as demeaning and hurtful verbal attacks) emerged as a significant predictor of both PTSD symptomatology and dating violence among both males and females. PTSD symptomatology was a significant mediator of the male emotional abuse-perpetration and the female emotional/physical abuse-victimization links, suggesting different patterns according to gender. Approximately 85 percent of the 402 youth in the sample had begun dating, and some level of dating violence was common. These findings suggest that youth in the caseloads of child protective services agencies continue to experience distinctive negative impacts from childhood emotional abuse in their adolescent adjustment. This suggests that all clients of child protective services should be assessed for emotional abuse and its impacts, and where indicated, appropriate intervention should occur. Intervention should focus on PTSD symptomatology and teen dating violence. The 402 youth in the active caseload of child protective services were part of a larger longitudinal study of adolescent health behaviors. Mid-adolescent youth across various types of child-protective-services status were targeted for the study. Experiences of childhood maltreatment were measured with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and PTSD symptoms were measured with the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. Dating violence was assessed with the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory. 6 tables and 63 references