title: Ecological predictors of traumatic stress symptoms in caucasian and ethnic minority children exposed to intimate partner violence.
abstract: Traumatic stress symptoms were assessed for 218 children ages 5 to 13 following exposure to intimate partner violence: 33% of Caucasian and 17% of minority children were diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder. A risk and protective factors model was used to predict traumatic stress symptoms. For Caucasian children, the best predictors were mothers' mental health and low self-esteem. For minority children, the amount of violence, mothers' low self-esteem, and low income predicted traumatic stress. Social support to the mother, inclusive of friends, relatives, and religion, was a protective element. Implications for assessment and intervention are discussed in light of each group's experiences.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Graham-Bermann
authors.forename: Ellen R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: DeVoe
authors.forename: Jacqueline S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Mattis
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Shirley A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000208:ethnology; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008824:Michigan; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D033262:Narration; D011203:Poverty; D012944:Social Support; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*