title: Childhood Abuse and Aggression in Adolescent Girls Involved in Child Welfare: The Role of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress.
abstract: This study investigated the relationship between histories of childhood abuse and aggressive behaviors among adolescent girls involved in child welfare, and determined whether symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression mediated this relationship. Participants were 237 girls ages 12-19 years. Overall, results indicated 89 % of the adolescents endorsed at least one aggressive behavior towards others. Specifically, 72.0 % engaged in physical aggression, 78.5 % engaged in non-physical aggression, and 51.5 % endorsed relational aggression. Greater severity of emotional and physical abuse were significantly associated with a higher frequency of aggressive behaviors. Sexual abuse was not significantly related to aggression. Post-traumatic stress and depression fully mediated the relationship between emotional abuse and aggression, controlling for race, service use, and living situation. The linkages between physical abuse and aggression were not mediated by either post-traumatic stress or depression. Findings suggest that among adolescent girls with histories of emotional abuse, post-traumatic stress and depression represent potential modifiable risk factors to target for reducing aggression.
authors.affiliation: George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Auslander
authors.affiliation: University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sterzing
authors.affiliation: University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Threlfall
authors.affiliation: George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
authors.forename: Donald
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gerke
authors.affiliation: George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1196, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
authors.forename: Tonya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Edmond
keywords: Adolescent girls; Aggression; Emotional abuse; Mental health; Physical abuse; Sexual abuse