What happens to maltreated boys and girls when they grow up? A higher-order model of trauma using a community sample
Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Neglect, abuse, and negative life events (NLEs) can be traumatic, distressing, and debilitating.Our understanding of these kinds of trauma in the general community is limited, as most of the extant research relies on clinical samples, uses constrained sets of outcomes, and lacks agreement on appropriate measures.This thesis presents research designed to overcome some of these limitations.Two new measures of abuse and NLEs were developed, allowing separate measurement of the frequency and severity of trauma across different life stages.The measures, and the SCL-90-R were administered in a random community survey (220 females, 168 males), with a 62% response rate.The abuse scale revealed three discrete factors: psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and physical abuse.Derived subscales produced from two of these factors were all internally reliable, as was the total abuse scale.The Psychological Abuse Scale produced three subscales: Emotional Neglect, Belittlement, and Judgmental.The Physical Abuse Scale produced two subscales: Subjugation and Physical Violence.The Sexual Abuse Scale was not differentiable any further.When the scales and subscales were tested using structural equation modeling, all models performed well, with minimal amounts of unexplained variance.All scales and subscales contributed to a reliable and valid higher-order model of maltreatment.Prevalence rates of abuse, especially psychological abuse, were high for both males and females.Males reported higher lifetime histories of psychological abuse than did females.Importantly, the genders showed different symptom patterns and cumulative effects among the types and subtypes of abuse.Psychological abuse was the most severe form of abuse, followed by physical abuse.The most common symptoms Professor Iain Walker, my academic supervisor, for his genuine interest in my research topic, and his constructive comments, guidance, and support.Even more
Author: Joanne K. Pitzner
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Murdoch University
OpenAlex ID: W1940823301