Date of Completion
Spring 5-10-2009
Thesis Advisor(s)
Julie Wargo Aikins
Honors Major
Psychology
Disciplines
Child Psychology | Clinical Psychology | Developmental Psychology | Other Psychiatry and Psychology | Other Psychology | Psychiatry and Psychology
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that childhood victimization and attachment disruptions impact a child’s development. In this study, children and adolescents from an outpatient psychiatric clinic were assessed, measuring history of trauma, history of out-of-home placement, initial diagnoses, and CBCL internalizing and externalizing problem scores. Multiple regression analyses showed that both violent abuse trauma (physical/sexual abuse) and victim trauma (physical abuse/sexual abuse/witnessing domestic violence/witnessing community violence) are prevalent among patients with externalizing severity problems; concluding that diagnosis alone may not account for a history of victimization, but externalizing problem severity does. Overall, the study is consistent with past literature that it is important to acknowledge a child’s history of maltreatment and out-of-home placement when understanding their psychiatric development and diagnosis.
Recommended Citation
Gagnon, Kerry, "History of Maltreatment and Psychiatric Impairment in Children in Outpatient Psychiatric Treatment" (2009). Honors Scholar Theses. 95.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/srhonors_theses/95