Child Abuse and Trauma
Research Guide

Felitti et al. (1998) in "Relationship of Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction to Many of the Leading Causes of Death in Adults" found that childhood abuse and household dysfunction strongly predict many leading causes of death in adults. The study involved 17,646 citations and analyzed data from over 17,000 participants. These adverse childhood experiences increase risks for conditions like ischemic heart disease and cancer.

Bernstein et al. (2003) developed a brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire in "Development and validation of a brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire," validated across clinical and community samples. Horowitz et al. (1979) introduced the Impact of Event Scale in "Impact of Event Scale: A Measure of Subjective Stress" to quantify intrusive thinking and avoidance after stressful events. Straus et al. (1996) revised the Conflict Tactics Scales in "The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2)" to assess psychological and physical partner attacks.

Caspi et al. (2002) in "Role of Genotype in the Cycle of Violence in Maltreated Children" showed that a polymorphism in the MAOA gene moderates antisocial behavior in maltreated children, with low-activity variants increasing violence risk. The study followed males from birth to adulthood. This breaks the cycle of violence for some genotypes.

Shonkoff et al. (2011) in "The Lifelong Effects of Early Childhood Adversity and Toxic Stress" describe how toxic stress alters neuroscience and developmental psychology outcomes across the lifespan. Advances in genomics and epidemiology reveal health and disease shifts. The report emphasizes early interventions to mitigate these effects.

Della Femina et al. (1990) in "Child abuse: Adolescent records vs. adult recall" compared adolescent records to adult recollections, finding consistency in reported abuse. The study assessed reliability over time. This supports the validity of retrospective reports in trauma research.

Blevins et al. (2015) developed the PCL-5 in "The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM‐5 (PCL‐5): Development and Initial Psychometric Evaluation" to align with DSM-5 criteria, showing strong initial psychometrics. Kessler (1995) in "Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the National Comorbidity Survey" reported higher PTSD prevalence and persistence than previously estimated. These tools aid epidemiologic studies.