Citation

Lansing AE, Plante WY, Beck AN, Ellenberg M. J. Child Adolesc. Trauma 2018; 11(3): 375-389.

Affiliation

University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s40653-018-0209-9

PMID

30344839

PMCID

PMC6193500

Abstract

Despite profound adversity exposure (loss, trauma) among delinquents, with adversity linked to early-onset persistent delinquency [EOPD], externalizing syndromes (Conduct Disorder) continue to overshadow impairing internalizing syndromes. Three understudied factors potentially contribute to both syndromes among delinquents: bereavement-related distress [BRD] from death-exposures; psychopathy-spectrum traits associated with system-involvement; and emotional abuse, implicated in lifespan morbidities. Therefore, we characterized loss/BRD among 107 EOPD adolescent girls and boys, comparing: 1) psychopathology and maltreatment (emotional, physical and sexual abuse); and 2) adversity-related (BRD, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder [PTSD], maltreatment) and psychopathy-spectrum predictors of internalizing and externalizing syndromes. Death exposure was common, resulting in developmental disruptions (school difficulties: 49.4%) and clinically significant BRD (33.8%), with girls evidencing greater BRD severity. BRD and psychopathy-traits, not PTSD, positively predicted all youths' internalizing, and boys' externalizing, syndromes. More frequent physical abuse increased both syndromes among boys. Emotional abuse alone predicted girls' externalizing syndromes, highlighting the contribution of this overlooked maltreatment-type.

Language: en

Keywords

broadband internalizing and externalizing syndromes; child maltreatment; early-onset persistent delinquent youth; emotional abuse; grief and bereavement-related distress; psychopathy