PTSD and dissociation symptoms as mediators of the relationship between polyvictimization and psychosocial and behavioral problems among justice-involved adolescents
Abstract
Polyvictimization (PV) has been shown to be associated with psychosocial and behavioral impairment in community and high risk populations, including youth involved in juvenile justice. However, the mechanisms accounting for these adverse outcomes have not been empirically delineated. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociation are documented sequelae of PV and are associated with a wide range of behavioral/emotional problems. This study used a cross-sectional research design and bootstrapped multiple mediation analyses with self-report measures completed by a large sample of justice-involved youth (N = 809, ages 12-19 years old, 27% female, 46.5% youth of color) to test the hypothesis that PTSD and dissociation symptoms mediate the relationship between PV and problems with anger, depression/anxiety, alcohol/drug use, and somatic complaints after controlling for the effects of exposure to violence and adversities related to juvenile justice involvement. As hypothesized, PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship of PV with all outcomes except alcohol/drug use problems (which had an unmediated direct association with PV). Partially supporting study hypotheses, dissociation symptoms mediated the relationship between PV and internalizing problems (i.e., depression anxiety; suicide ideation). Implications are discussed for prospective research demarcating the mechanisms linking PV and adverse outcomes in juvenile justice and other high risk populations.
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BackgroundDissociative depression among women in the community
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Complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder
Ford, J. D., & Courtois, C. A. (2021) · Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation · doi:10.1186/s40479-021-00155-9 · Cited by 209 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Ford, J. D., Charak, R., Modrowski, C. A., & Kerig, P. K.
- Affiliations
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA
- The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (US)
- University of Utah (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Trauma & Dissociation
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-03-16
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 325-346
- ISSN
- 1529-9732 (ISSN-L)
- 1529-9740
- OpenAlex
- W2793475919
- Cited by
- 37
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2025: 7 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 5.28
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Trauma & Dissociation (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ScholarWorks @ UTRGV (The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ([1U79SM080044-01])
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Crime Patterns and Interventions
- Keywords
- polyvictimization, post-traumatic stress disorder, adolescents, mediation, internalizing problems, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, anger problems, alcohol and drug use, somatic symptoms, violence exposure, psychosocial problems
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Mental Disorders, Child, Child Abuse, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dissociative Disorders, Female, Humans, Juvenile Delinquency, Male, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, United States, Utah, Crime Victims, Young Adult
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