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Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Children of Battered Women

NCJ Number
174149
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: February 1998 Pages: 111-128
Author(s)
S A Graham-Bermann; A A Levendosky
Date Published
1998
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study identified the range of trauma symptoms found in children who had witnessed the physical and emotional maltreatment of their mother by their father or mother's partner during the past year.
Abstract
Psychological abuse included the frequency of acts of coercion and threats, and physical abuse included the frequency of both mild and severe physical violence. The 64 children in this study 33 boys and 31 girls ranged in age from 7 to 12, with a mean age of 9.5. Two measures were combined to assess the frequency of emotional and physical abuse toward the child's mother during the past year. The verbal and physical aggression subscales of the Conflict Tactics Scale were used. Traumatic stress symptoms in the child were measured with the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults and adapted for use with children. The child's behavioral adjustment was assessed by the mother and the child's teacher with the Child Behavior Checklist. Of the children exposed to violence, 13 percent qualified for a complete PTSD diagnosis; however, 52 percent suffered from intrusive and unwanted remembering of the traumatic events; 19 percent displayed traumatic avoidance; and 42 percent experienced traumatic arousal symptoms. Children with PTSD symptoms had significantly more internalizing behavioral problems, as expected; they also had more externalizing problems than did children without trauma symptoms. 4 tables and 52 references