Betrayal Trauma in Youth and Negative Communication During a Stressful Task.

Attachment-based theories and related research illustrate that emotion regulation develops in the context of a secure relationship between a child and caregiver. When a secure bond is broken, such as in the context of betrayal trauma, children fail to develop necessary emotion regulation skills which can lead to an array of relational problems. The current study examined the relations between betrayal trauma history, type of communication during a stressful interpersonal laboratory task, and emotion regulation difficulties in a sample of trauma-exposed adolescents. Results showed that adolescents with a betrayal trauma history reported more emotion regulation difficulties and exhibited more aggressive and fewer positive communication behaviors when engaged in a stressful interpersonal task with their mothers than did adolescents exposed only to nonbetrayal trauma. Emotion regulation difficulties mediated the relation between betrayal trauma history and negative communication. The clinical and developmental implications from these findings are discussed.

Trauma in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities: reactions of parents and caregivers to research participation.

Generally, studies have revealed that only a minority of people are bothered by participation in research on traumatic stress. Severity of traumatic events and subsequent responses are typically unrelated to negative reactions. We included 386 family members and caregivers (respondents) of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (focus people). Focus people (ages 4-82) had a wide range of physical and intellectual disabilities, medical and behavioral problems, and exposure to potentially traumatic events. The measures of impact of research participation (based on J. I. Ruzek & D. F. Zatzick's [2000] Reactions to Research Participation Questionnaire [RRPQ]; S. Folkman and R. S. Lazarus's [1986 , 1988 ] Emotional Responses to Participation Scale) showed good psychometric properties. Response to participation was highly skewed toward good understanding of informed consent, valuing participation, and minimal negative reactions. Number of traumatic events was related, positively, to only one RRPQ subscale: Valuing Participation. Implications for research and clinical work are discussed.

Sexual abuse prevention: a training program for developmental disabilities service providers.

Persons with developmental disabilities are at an increased risk for becoming victims of sexual abuse. Research has revealed that the largest group of identified perpetrators of sexual abuse is developmental disability service providers. The purpose of the present study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a sexual abuse prevention training program. Participants were administered a survey assessing knowledge and attitudes before and after the training workshop. Small improvements in knowledge and attitudes about sexual abuse and the sexuality of persons with developmental disabilities were found; however, ge-neral attitudes about individuals with developmental disabilities did not change. Suggestions for future directions in this area are provided.

Cognitive-behavioral psychology: implications for disaster and terrorism response.

Given the personal and societal costs associated with acute impairment and enduring post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the mental health response to disasters is an integral component of disaster response planning. The purpose of this paper is to explore the compatibility between cognitive-behavioral psychology and the disaster mental health model, and explicate how cognitive-behavioral perspectives and intervention methods can enhance the effectiveness of disaster mental health services. It is argued that cognitive-behavioral methods, if matched to the contexts of the disaster and the needs of individuals, will improve efforts to prevent the development of PTSD and other trauma-related problems in survivors of disaster or terrorist events. First, the similarities between models of care underlying both disaster mental health services and cognitive-behavioral therapies are described. Second, examples of prior cognitive-behavioral therapy-informed work with persons exposed to disaster and terrorism are provided, potential cognitive-behavioral therapy applications to disaster and terrorism are explored, and implications of cognitive-behavioral therapy for common challenges in disaster mental health is discussed. Finally, steps that can be taken to integrate cognitive-behavioral therapy into disaster mental health are outlined. The aim is to prompt disaster mental health agencies and workers to consider using cognitive-behavioral therapy to improve services and training, and to motivate cognitive-behavioral researchers and practitioners to develop and support disaster mental health response.

Internet use, abuse, and dependence among students at a southeastern regional university.

OBJECTIVE: To assess Internet use, abuse, and dependence. PARTICIPANTS: 411 undergraduate students. RESULTS: Ninety percent of participants reported daily Internet use. Approximately half of the sample met criteria for Internet abuse, and one-quarter met criteria for Internet dependence. Men and women did not differ on the mean amount of time accessing the Internet each day; however, the reasons for accessing the Internet differed between the 2 groups. Depression was correlated with more frequent use of the Internet to meet people, socially experiment, and participate in chat rooms, and with less frequent face-to-face socialization. In addition, individuals meeting criteria for Internet abuse and dependence endorsed more depressive symptoms, more time online, and less face-to-face socialization than did those not meeting the criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health and student affairs professionals should be alert to the problems associated with Internet overuse, especially as computers become an integral part of college life.

Reliability and validity of an Internet traumatic stress survey with a college student sample.

The reliability and validity of Internet-based questionnaires were assessed in a sample of undergraduates (N = 411) by comparing data collected via the Internet with data collected in a more traditional format. A 2 x 2 x 2 repeated measures factorial design was used, forming four groups: Paper-Paper, Paper-Internet, Internet-Paper, and Internet-Internet. Scores on measures of trauma exposure, depression, and posttraumatic stress symptoms formed the dependent variables. Statistical analyses demonstrated that the psychometric properties of Internet-based questionnaires are similar to those established via formats that are more traditional. Questionnaire format and presentation order did not affect rates of psychological symptoms endorsed by participants. Researchers can feel comfortable that Internet data collection is a viable--and reliable--means for conducting trauma research.

Psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version.

We examined the psychometric properties of the PTSD Checklist (PCL), a self-report instrument designed to assess symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Three hundred ninety-two participants recruited in a university setting completed the PCL in addition to several well-established self-report instruments designed to assess various forms of psychopathology (e.g., depression, general anxiety, PTSD). Ninety participants returned for readministration of selected measures. Findings provided support for psychometric properties of the PCL, including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Additional strengths of the PCL are discussed.