Childhood trauma histories in adolescent inpatients

• Published in: Journal of traumatic stress 1997-04, Vol.10 (2), p.291-298
• Main Authors: Weine, Stevan M., Becker, Daniel F., Levy, Kenneth N., Edell, William S., McGlashan, Thomas H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: abuse; adolescence; Adolescent; Bereavement; Biological and medical sciences; Chi-Square Distribution; Child; Child Abuse - diagnosis; Child Abuse - psychology; Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data; Child Abuse, Sexual - diagnosis; Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology; Child Abuse, Sexual - statistics & numerical data; childhood; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; loss; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - psychology; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology, Adolescent; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - diagnosis; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; trauma; Victimology
• ISSN: 0894-9867; 1573-6598
• DOI: 10.1002/jts.2490100209

The authors describe the prevalence of childhood traumatic experiences among adolescent inpatients. A Childhood Trauma Chart Review Scale (CTCRS) was developed to assess traumatic experiences during childhood and adolescence. The CTCRS was reliably applied to the medical records of 75 adolescent inpatients who had been given structured clinical interviews for DSM‐III‐R diagnoses at the time of admission. Most subjects (81%) had experienced at least one traumatic event during childhood, with loss of caregiver being the most frequent type of traumatic experience. Many subjects had multiple types of traumatic experiences, during both early and late childhood. A history of childhood trauma was associated with greater functional impairment and higher likelihood of having a personality disorder, but with no difference in Axis I diagnoses.