PPLR
emotional abuse predicted increases in depressive symptoms among Caucasian adolescents with more overgeneral memories (t= 4.10, P = .0001), but not among those with fewer overgeneral memories (t=−0.39, P = .70). This 2-way interaction was not significant for African–American adolescents. For adolescents of both races there was also a significant 2-way interaction between overgeneral memories and emotional neglect in the same direction.
Conclusion:These results support the hypothesis that emotional maltreatment is particularly deleterious among adolescents with overgeneral autobiograph- ical memories, and that some of these mechanisms may be specific to Caucasian adolescents.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.07.047 Current domestic violent exposure among resettling refugee populations C.L. Striley, S. LeLaurin St. Louis, MO Service providers funded by the United States (US) Department of State resettle international refugees deemed at highest risk by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in cities across the U.S. Of the 10.5 million international refugees, those resettled in the US constitute half of the 1% at highest risk of persecution (US State Department, 2010). Many of these refugees have lived through horrendous conditions, including war and famine; all are undergoing upheaval and dislocation.
Some of those being resettled will experience violence in their own homes.
Efforts to help these refugees are complicated by cultural and language barriers. The National Immigrant Family Violence Institute (NIFVI) was created by Suzanne LeLaurin, Senior Vice President For Individuals And Families at the International Institute of St. Louis and Catherine Striley, now Assistant Professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida, to help “provide individualized technical assistance and training, as well as specialized resource materials on the unique issues faced by immigrant communities in combating domestic violence”(NIFVI, undated). NIFVI member agencies from San Francisco to the State of New Jersey, work with refugee communities to help reduce the risk of domestic or interpersonal partner violence among those being resettled.
We present findings from funded services provided January 2010 through September 2011 by the 6 NIFVI agencies. Seven hundred and twenty eight adult refugees and immigrants from 103 countries of origin resettling in the Kansas City, St. Louis, Boston, San Francisco, and Philadelphia areas and in the State of New Jersey received services. Among these 154 (21%) were deemed by the professionals to be at medium or high risk of domestic violence at baseline; record review 6 months later showed that 92 (13%) were judged to have remained at medium or high risk. Thirty two percent of the sample whole sample (230) consisted of female heads of households. Service provision required professional interpreter service 34% of the time (250 people). The top languages spoken other than English, in order, were Spanish, Arabic, Nepali, Somali, French, Tigrigna (from Eritrea and Ethiopia), Haitian Creole, Karen (from Burma) and Amharic (from Ethiopia).
NIFVI data reveal that resettling refugees are at risk for current interpersonal partner or domestic violence. Mental health service providers need to assess current as well as past violence exposure. Providers also need to be prepared to offer culturally appropriate services and translation. The needs of these families and their children are often overlooked by existing service systems (American Psychological Association, 2010).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.07.048 The effect of trauma on risk of PTSD is modified by parental psychopathology K. Tahaney a,P.Xi a, N. Delgado a, M. Grant a,W.Kremen b, C. Franz b, M. Lyons a a Boston, MAbLa JollaThe etiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is multifaceted and involves complex genetic and environmental components including childhood experiences, preexisting mood and anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and conduct disorder. It is important to identify familial risk factors, as they can provide more information about the roles of genes and environmental experiences in the development of PTSD. Specific risk factors have been identified, particularly among veterans exposed to combat trauma. Past studies of the Vietnam Era Twin Registry (VETR) found various forms of parental psychopathology to significantly increase the risk for developing PTSD in twin pairs following exposure to trauma. Our sample included 6744 male twins from the VETR. In our analyses we included the 1276 individuals who reported during a structured interview that they had experienced combat trauma. The interview also included questions about parental psychopathology (maternal and paternal depression and alcohol problems). Among this group with combat trauma, 30.0% metDSM-III-Rdiagnostic criteria for PTSD. Level of combat exposure was quantified using the 18 item Combat Experiences Scale. We used generalized estimating equations to examine the main effects of level of combat exposure and parental psychopathology and their interaction on risk of PTSD while controlling for non-independent observations within twin pairs. As expected, the level of combat exposure was significantly associated with PTSD. When level of combat exposure was controlled, maternal and paternal depression and maternal and paternal alcohol problems significantly predicted risk of PTSD. The only significant interaction was between maternal alcohol problems and level of combat exposure. These results indicate that both internalizing and externalizing disorders among both fathers and mothers are associated with risk of PTSD in the offspring, but only maternal alcohol problems alters the relationship between combat exposure and PTSD in the offspring. These results are equally consistent with two different mechanisms for the effect of maternal alcohol problems on sensitivity to environmental trauma. The first possibility is that differential sensitivity is genetically transmitted from mother to son. The alternative possibility is that alcohol problems in the mother produce an environment for the son that alters his response to exposure to combat trauma. One or both of these mechanisms of intergenerational influence may have been operating.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2012.07.049 Genetic moderators of the associations between prenatal nicotine exposure and offspring psychopathology A. Talati a, S.E. Hodge a, P.J. Wickramaratne a, S.P. Hamilton b,M.M.Weissman a a New York, NYbSan Francisco, CA Objective:Smoking by mothers during pregnancy has been associated with a range of adverse outcomes among their offspring. Not all exposed offspring however go on to develop these problems, suggesting a moderating role for other biological or environmental factors. We examined brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in this context, given the growth factor's critical role in fetal development of brain circuits and recent evidence for modulation by nicotine. We hypothesized here that offspring who were exposed to nicotinein uteroand had lower-functioning BDNF variants would have greater psychopathology than offspring with one or neither of these risks.
Method:Exposure was based on whether or not the mother smoked≥10 cigarettes daily/almost daily while pregnant. Offspring outcomes were assessed independently using the SADS interview across multiple waves, and blind to exposure. Multiple BDNF polymorphisms, including the functionally alteringval66met,were genotyped.
Results:Among offspring withva/valgenotypes, prenatal exposure was not related to any adverse outcome. Among offspring with≥1copyofthelower functioningmet-allele, exposure resulted in three-to-five fold increases of drug, alcohol, and conduct disorders, but notanxiety or depression. BDNF-genotypes were not independently associated with any outcome or with prenatal exposure, and also did not moderate effects of maternal postnatal substance use.
Conclusions:BDNF plays an important prenatal role in guiding the formation of neural circuits.Metcarrying fetuses–already having suboptimal BDNFE11 Abstracts / Comprehensive Psychiatry 54 (2013) E1–E14
