Search

Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and resilience are two wellestablished outcomes following trauma exposure, but little work has examined the unique associations between these outcomes and factors across the social ecology. This theoretically grounded study assessed how individual, relational, and contextual social ecological factors relate to PTSS and resilience. Participants included 606 college students (18-25 years, Mage = 20.79, SD = 1.86; 82.51% Female; 56.60% White, 29.37% Black or African American, 5.78% Asian, 8.25% Other races) with exposure to at least one traumatic event. Two hierarchical linear regression models examined associations between individual (i.e., emotion dysregulation, anger severity), relational (i.e., family support, friend support), and contextual (i.e., community cohesion, community disorder) factors, and PTSS and resilience. At the individual level, higher emotion dysregulation was associated with higher PTSS and lower resilience; anger severity was not related to either outcome. At the relational level, more friend support was negatively associated with PTSS. Friend and family support were positively related to resilience. At the contextual level, community cohesion was positively associated with resilience, but not PTSS, and community disorder was unrelated to both outcomes. Findings demonstrate unique factors across the social ecology that differentially relate to PTSS and resilience. Variables at all three ecological levels were associated with resilience, whereas only individual and relational variables were related to PTSS. Replication with longitudinal data could inform treatments for trauma-exposed individuals that may mitigate PTSS and bolster resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment is related to a host of negative consequences, including difficulties with emotion regulation (ER), posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and greater risk for revictimization. Yet, the literature has largely focused on sexual revictimization, while relations between maltreatment and other adult victimization types (e.g., intimate partner violence [IPV]) are less clear. Further, associations between emotion dysregulation and both child and adult trauma exposure have been identified, but aspects of dysregulation (i.e., nonacceptance of emotional responses, difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior, impulsivity, lack of emotional awareness, limited access to ER strategies, and lack of emotional clarity) have received less attention. This study aimed to: (1) investigate the associations between maltreatment and adult victimization and the six ER dimensions while accounting for PTSS, and (2) determine whether there are indirect effects between maltreatment and adult victimization through each ER component. Seven hundred and forty-four undergraduates from two universities participated in the study (M age = 21.48, SD = 4.12; 80.9% women; 56.2% white). Maltreatment and PTSS were directly linked with adult victimization (B = 0.14, B = 0.01, respectively). PTSS was inversely associated with each ER aspect (Bs = 0.02–0.10). Unexpectedly, neither maltreatment nor adult victimization was related to the ER dimensions, and no indirect effects were observed between maltreatment and adult victimization through emotion dysregulation. These findings suggest that specific components of emotion dysregulation may not be tied to trauma exposure outside of PTSS. Further, it may be that the ER dimensions are not differentially related to increased risk for adult victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotional awareness supports emotion regulation. Psychologists have children "color in feelings" to assess emotional awareness, yet whether this relates to emotion regulation is unknown. The present study used a novel coloring task examining behaviors related to coloring in and dictating emotions to assess children's (N = 95) emotional awareness. Furthermore, it was tested whether performance on this task predicted emotion regulation. Children's coloring behaviors indicating physiological emotional awareness predicted better emotion regulation. Results may inform the use of emotional awareness tasks in community and clinical settings. Findings also suggest that physiological emotional awareness may be a more salient clinical target in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community violence (CV) is associated with negative psychosocial outcomes, such as posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and anger; however, many individuals also exhibit resilience. Considering the multifinality of outcomes following CV and guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework, the current study sought to examine individual, microsystem, and exosystem level factors in relation to PTSS, anger, and resilience. Participants were 536 emerging adults (Mage = 20.13; SD = 1.81, range = 18–25) recruited from two universities. Three hierarchical linear regression models were conducted, one for each dependent variable (i.e., PTSS, anger, resilience). Block 1 included the covariates of recruitment site and age. Block 2 added individual-level factors (i.e., gender, race, income, CV exposure, other trauma exposure, code of the streets [COS] beliefs, religiosity), Block 3 added microsystem-level factors (i.e., parental monitoring, social support), and Block 4 added exosystem-level factors (i.e., community cohesion, community disorder). Identifying as female, higher levels of CV and other trauma exposure, and lower levels of social support were associated with greater PTSS. Recruitment site, more cumulative trauma, stronger endorsement of COS beliefs, lower levels of social support, and higher levels of community disorder were associated with higher levels of problematic anger. Higher income, identifying as a racial minority, higher levels of CV, more religiosity, higher levels of social support, and greater community cohesion were associated with more resilience. These findings highlight the importance of examining ecological systems concurrently. Individual- and microsystem-level variables may be key targets and should be considered in intervention and prevention services for emerging adults exposed to violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Family violence can negatively affect youth's psychosocial functioning. Strengths-based interventions may enhance positive youth functioning among youth experiencing adversity, but little is known about the effectiveness of camp-based interventions for youth exposed to family violence. The current study examined the effectiveness of Camp HOPE Tennessee in promoting multidimensional well-being and school engagement among youth exposed to family violence., Method: This pilot study employed a nonmasked, parallel randomized controlled design. Participants were 47 children and their caregivers who sought services from a Family Justice Center. Children were 7-12 years old ( M = 9.55, SD = 1.63; 79% Black/African American). Using block randomization, caregiver-child dyads were assigned to the camp ( n = 23) or waitlist control ( n = 24) condition and completed evaluations at baseline, 2-month follow-up, and 5-month follow-up. Children reported on two indicators of positive functioning: multidimensional Quality of Life (i.e., Physical Well-Being, Psychological Well-Being, Autonomy And Parent Relations, Social Support And Peers, And School Environment) and School Engagement. Piecewise latent growth curve models evaluated between-group differences in positive youth functioning at 2- and 5-month follow-up (ClinicalTrials.gov: CampHopeTN)., Results: Results suggest that Camp HOPE positively impacted children's psychological well-being (difference = 12.28, SE = 2.84, p < .001, g = 0.94) and autonomy and parent relations (difference = 7.96, SE = 2.95, p = .007, g = 0.77) at 2-month follow-up. Additionally, the camp appeared to have a long-term effect on school engagement at 5-month follow-up (difference = 9.97, SE = 4.83, p = .039, g = 0.59)., Conclusions: Results suggest that camp interventions may enhance positive functioning among youth exposed to family violence. Larger investigations are needed to strengthen the evidence base for Camp HOPE's effectiveness and support further dissemination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).