Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma Among Immigrant Mexican Women up to Two-Years Post-partum.

Anxiety has significant consequences for maternal and infant health, and Mexican immigrant mothers are at significantly high-risk. This study examined whether maternal depressive symptoms and trauma are related to anxiety symptoms in perinatal Mexican immigrants. Data were collected from 103 Mexican women residing in the Midwestern United States who were pregnant or up to two years postpartum. Half were aged 30-34. The majority had two or more children and low socio-economic status. Linear regression analyses predicted current anxiety symptoms from current maternal depression symptoms, trauma history, and socio-demographics. Anxiety symptoms were significantly related to depressive symptoms (B = 0.87, 95% CI 0.73, 1.01) and trauma. Compared to women with no trauma history, women who experienced more than ten traumas had increased anxiety symptoms (B = 7.15, 95% CI 0.34, 13.96). Perinatal Mexican women with higher depression symptoms and trauma have increased anxiety symptoms, increasing the need for more comprehensive screening.

Intergenerational Trauma among Families in El Salvador: an Exploratory Study.

Adverse childhood events have been shown to impact individuals through adulthood, particularly the impact on relationships. This study aimed to examine intergenerational trauma exposure among a sample of parents living in a semi-urban Salvadoran community and the relationship between child trauma exposure with maternal perceived discrimination, internal strengths and external support. Survey data was collected from 49 mothers residing in El Salvador. Bivariate analyses and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between children's exposure to adverse childhood events and parents' exposure to adverse childhood events, while controlling for discrimination. The results of the regression analysis indicate that the maternal number of adverse childhood events and experience of discrimination as an adult explained 52.9% of the variance (R 2 = 0.59, F(6, 43) = 10.18, p < .0001). The number of adverse childhood events was significantly predicted by maternal number of adverse events (B = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.17-0.48, p < .0001) and experience of discrimination as adults (B = 5.79, 95% CI = 3.51-8.07, p < .0001). Results suggest that parent exposure to adverse childhood events and parent experience with discrimination are related to the exposure to adverse childhood events of their children. Further research in this area is warranted to better understand the experiences of parents who have been exposed to childhood trauma and the day-to-day parenting challenges. Greater understanding of the impact of childhood trauma also encourages service providers to explore intergenerational interventions.

Childhood Trauma and Psychopathic Features Among Juvenile Offenders.

Despite growing interest in psychopathic personality features in juvenile offenders, few studies have examined the relationship between childhood trauma and psychopathy. The present study utilized two datasets: 253 adolescents in a residential facility for juvenile offenders in Pennsylvania and 723 institutionalized delinquents in Missouri. Zero-order correlations and linear regression techniques were employed for boys and girls to examine the relationships between trauma, assessed using the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument Version 2 (MAYSI-2) Traumatic Experiences Scale and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and psychopathy as measured by the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI) and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Short Form (PPI-SF). Results indicate that psychopathy is significantly correlated with childhood trauma. For the Missouri data, trauma significantly predicted psychopathy scores for both boys and girls. These results suggest that nuanced understanding of traumatic history of these adolescents may not only be a pathway to psychopathy but also a critical part of their overall assessment and treatment plan.