Mira Vasileva

1. Childhood maltreatment, including emotional, physical, and sexual abuse as well as emotional and physical neglect (Bernstein & Fink, 1998; Klinitzke et al., 2012), increases the risk for the occ...

1. Bereavement due to violence in the family is a uniquely disruptive experience for children, with life-long psychosocial implications. It is estimated that at least one in seven homicides globall...

Emerging evidence suggests a negative impact of COVID-19 on children's mental health. The aims of this study were to examine trajectories of mental health in children younger than 6 years as well as risk and protective factors during the first year of the pandemic. In a prospective, longitudinal online study, data were collected on N = 837 children aged 1 to 5 years in Australia between May and July 2020 and after 3, 6 and 12 months, with n = 257 participating at all 4 timepoints. Individual trajectories ofanxiety, anger/irritability, depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance were analysed using latent growth mixture modelling. The results showed that 1 in 4 children experienced moderate to severe symptoms in each problem domain. The overall means for depressive symptoms, anger/irritability, and sleep disturbance decreased while anxiety increased over time. For most outcomes, two individual trajectories were identified: moderate/high-decreasing (26-29%) andlow-increasing. Important predictors were negative COVID-19 related impact on daily life, caregiver distress, lower child positive affect and self-regulation. The current results highlight that the pandemic indirectly affected young children's mental health, especially in the presence of risk factors such as caregiver distress and poor child self-regulation skills.

Purpose: Losing a parent due to intimate partner homicide is a traumatic experience, exacerbated by homicide and the associated grief being a taboo in many western cultures. This study investigated the experiences of young people and adults bereaved by parental intimate partner homicide during childhood, to gain a better understanding of how they make sense of and share their personal story after such a loss. Methods: Within the context of a larger study, we conducted twelve semi-structured interviews with people with lived experience of such deaths in Australia and used narrative analysis to interpret the data. Results: Participants were frequently confronted with imposed narratives (i.e., from family, practitioners, peers) about the homicide, their parents, and their own identities, leading to a deep sense of loneliness and feeling misunderstood, powerless, and silenced. In various ways, participants resisted imposed narratives and took control over their stories. This process was difficult but could lead to improved and more authentic relationships with oneself, family, and others. In this way, participants used their experiences to transform themselves and others, sometimes by becoming advocates or practitioners supporting others with similar experiences. Conclusions: We named this process of taking control of one’s story “crafting subverses.” It involved making sense of and sharing experiences of trauma and grief for personal healing and social justice. Helping children craft their “subverses” may be an important aspect of gaining a deeper understanding of how to support them. Provision of carefully tailored peer mentoring, professional support and opportunities to influence programs and policy appear key to better support systems for those bereaved due to parental intimate partner homicide.

Purpose Research has shown that children and adolescents suffering from posttraumatic stress often have negative posttraumatic cognitions such as negative appraisals of the trauma sequel that increase mental health problems. However, little is known about posttraumatic cognitions in young children. The aim of this study was to investigate negative posttraumatic cognitions in 4- to 8-year-old children following maltreatment. We also examined their association with child age and well-being as well as caregiver psychopathology. Methods The study includes N = 112 caregiver-child dyads with children’s mean age of M = 6.2 (SD = 1.1) years. Children had experienced physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, sexual victimization, and/or domestic violence prior to participation. Posttraumatic cognitions were assessed using a short child interview including four items adapted from the Child Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (CPTCI; Meiser‐Stedman et al in Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(4), 432–440, 2009). Results Completion of the interview about posttraumatic cognitions was independent from child’s age. Higher levels of negative posttraumatic cognitions were significantly associated with a higher cumulative maltreatment score (r = .35) and higher scores of posttraumatic stress symptoms (r = .39). There was no significant correlation with parent variables. Conclusion These findings indicate that posttraumatic cognitions might be an important diagnostic and treatment target for 4- to 8-year-old children.

Background: Young Middle Eastern male refugees are currently among the most vulnerable groups in Europe. Most of them have experienced potentially traumatic events (PTEs) such as rape, torture, or violent assaults. Compared to their peers, young refugees suffer more from internalizing and externalizing symptoms, especially when unaccompanied. Little is known about the cumulative impact of experiencing different types of PTEs on mental health outcomes (polytraumatization) of young male refugees from the Middle East. We investigated (1) whether there is a dose–response relationship between multiple PTE types experienced and mental health outcomes, (2) whether individual types of PTEs are particularly important, and (3) to what extent these are differentially associated with mental health outcomes among unaccompanied or accompanied peers. Methods: In total, 151 young Middle Eastern male refugees in Germany (M_age = 16.81 years, SD_age = 2.01) answered questionnaires on PTEs, mental health, and post-migration stress. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses revealed, while controlling for age, duration of stay, unaccompanied status, and post-migration stress, (1) a dose–effect between PTE types on both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Moreover, (2) regarding internalizing symptoms, violent family separation and experiencing life-threatening medical problems were particularly crucial. The latter was driven by unaccompanied refugees, who also reported higher levels of substance use. Conclusions: The results extend findings from the literature and suggest that not only may greater polytraumatization be related to greater depression among refugees, but also to a range of other mental health outcomes from the internalizing and externalizing symptom domains. Furthermore, the results highlight the mental health risks that unaccompanied and accompanied refugee adolescents face after exposure to PTEs, and provide information for practitioners as well as researchers about event types that may be particularly relevant.

Zusammenfassung.Theoretischer Hintergrund: Dysfunktionale posttraumatische Kognitionen über das Selbst und die Welt als Folge traumatischer Erfahrungen können die Entwicklung einer posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung begünstigen. Fragestellung: Diese Studie untersucht das Wirkgeflecht zwischen der Art des traumatischen Ereignisses (interpersonell/akzidentiell), posttraumatischen Kognitionen und posttraumatischen Belastungssymptomen in Kindheit und Jugend. Methode: Erhoben wurden Daten von N = 48 Jugendlichen (9 – 17 Jahren) mittels Selbstbericht. Ergebnisse: Die Mediationsanalyse zeigte, dass posttraumatische Kognitionen als signifikanter Mediator für interpersonelle im Vergleich zu akzidentiellen Erfahrungen wirkten. Diskussion: Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass mit interpersonellen Traumata konfrontierte Kinder und Jugendliche in besonderem Maße Erschütterungen des Selbst- und Weltbildes ausgesetzt sind. Die Erkenntnisse betonen die Bedeutung kognitiver Elemente in der Traumatherapie mit Kindern und Jugendlichen.