Cumulative trauma, adversity, and loss among juvenile justice –involved girls: Implications for health disparities

AbstractAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are social determinants of health that increase morbidity and mortality and are prevalent among juvenile justice –involved (JJI) youth. ACEs drive health-risk behaviors (e.g., substance use) that reflect maladaptive coping, increase arrest risk, and overlap with posttraumatic risk-seeking theoretically and reckless/self-destructive behaviors diagnostically. However, little is known, especially among girls, a bout cumulative developmental adversity burden distress (i.e., total cumulative/lifespan stressor reactivity, grief-specific and adversity-related symptoms, and adversity-driven maladaptive coping strategies by age 18) and associated health risk impacts. Therefore, we assessed (a) developmental adve rsity burden indicators capturing expanded ACEs (E-ACEs; reflecting cumulative losses and traumatic events), cumulative distress, and risk characteristics; (b) potential racial/ethnic differences in developmental adversity burden; and (c) predictors of maladaptive coping among 223 JJI girls. Partici pants averaged 15 E-ACEs, endorsing 61.0% of stressor reactivity reactions, 58.4% of cumulative grief-specific symptoms, 55.7% (avoidance) to 73.2% (arousal) of adversity-related symptoms, and 45.0% of adversity-driven maladaptive coping strategies. White JJI girls endorsed significantly higher stre ssor reactivity and maladaptive coping than Latina girls (e.g., 38.8% vs. 14.6% suicide attempts),ds = 0.56 –0.71. Adaptive LASSO analys...
Source: Journal of Traumatic Stress - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research