Cumulative childhood trauma (CCT) increases the risk of experiencing interpersonal problems and relationship distress in adulthood. However, not all CCT survivors experience such difficulties, and little research has investigated protective factors against relationship dissatisfaction in CCT survivors and their partners. Romantic attachment might be one such factor that could reduce the harmful effects of a CCT history on relationship satisfaction for both survivors and their partners. Using a dyadic perspective, this study aimed to examine the association between CCT and relationship satisfaction and to test the moderating effect of attachment avoidance and anxiety on this association. A sample of 501 couples was recruited through a Canadian survey firm. Canadian couples who had provided their telephone number were randomly selected to complete the short form of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale, and the Childhood Cumulative Trauma Questionnaire. The actor-partner interdependence moderation model was used to guide the analyses. Results showed that individuals\' and partners\' higher CCT was correlated with both partners\' lower relationship satisfaction. The analyses revealed a moderating effect of lower attachment avoidance on the link between individuals\' CCT and their own relationship satisfaction. Specifically, individuals\' CCT was significantly and negatively associated with relationship satisfaction at high levels of attachment avoidance, but unrelated to relationship satisfaction at low levels of attachment avoidance. The final model explained 31.4% of the variance in relationship satisfaction. Overall, the findings support the relevance of couple interventions that focus on romantic attachment to improve relationship well-being in couples where one or both partners have experienced CCT.

Extant evidence indicates that exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) tend to cluster among children and adolescents. Considering that adolescents from African countries present higher risk of being exposed to multiple ACE compared to other countries, the identification of victimization profiles in this population is clearly warranted. The aim of this study was to determine meaningful clusters of individuals with similar experiences of ACE in a sample of Kenyan adolescents. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted to identify latent classes of exposure to ACE. In addition, the relationships between the latent classes and gender, parental education, living arrangements and diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were estimated. A three-class solution was found to be the best description of ACE, and the classes were labelled \'\'Low Risk\'\', \'\'Intermediate Risk\'\', and \'\'High Risk\'\'. Compared with the Low-Risk class, the High-Risk class was found to be significantly more likely to have a diagnosis of PTSD and being a female may be an antecedent risk factor for high exposure to ACE. The Intermediate Risk class was significantly less likely to have parents with high school or college education. This paper indicates that Kenyan adolescents present higher risk of being exposed to multiple ACE and that trauma research may turn its focus on the individual as the unit of analysis rather than traumatic events.

Stalking, a widespread and distressing phenomenon, has recently garnered considerable attention. The advent of digital platforms has revolutionized the landscape of stalking, presenting new avenues and challenges for research. However, the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic on stalking remains underexplored, despite extensive studies on similar crimes such as intimate partner violence and domestic violence. To address this gap, our study focused on Reddit, a prominent online platform with a diverse user base and open discussion. Through an analysis of posts from the subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/Stalking/), we sought to compare the discourse on stalking before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We found notable shifts in stalking-related posts before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with the emergence of new topics centered on cyberstalking. We also observed that the experiences of stalking victims have significantly changed following the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our findings, we discussed the implications for policies to help stalking victims.

BACKGROUND: Migration exposes children and youth to vulnerabilities, including uprooting, lack of protection, limited access to services, and violence. Previous studies have shown that victimization experiences impact the mental health of migrant children, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. This study aims to examine the co-occurrence of multiple forms of maltreatment (polyvictimization) among migrant and Chilean children and youth and its association with depressive symptoms, addressing a research gap in Latin America.
METHODS: Secondary data from the National Polyvictimization Survey (NPS) conducted by the Chilean Ministry of the Interior were analyzed. Measures assessing polyvictimization and depressive symptoms were administered to a sample of 1362 participants, with equal group sizes for migrants and Chilean-born individuals. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, group comparisons, correlation analyses, and multiple regression analyses.
RESULTS: The study revealed marked differences in experiences of conventional crime victimization and polyvictimization between migrant and Chilean-born participants, with migrants facing slightly higher incidences. Correlational analysis indicated variable strengths of association between victimization types and depressive symptoms across groups, with Chilean-born individuals showing stronger correlations for certain victimization forms. Multiple regression analysis highlighted gender, polyvictimization, child maltreatment, internet victimization, sexual victimization, and peer/sibling victimization as significant predictors of depressive symptoms across the sample. Notably, an interaction was observed between child maltreatment and migrant status, indicating a mitigated impact of maltreatment on depressive symptoms among migrant adolescents. This suggests the potential for unique resilience or coping mechanisms in this group.
CONCLUSIONS: This study elucidates the varied victimization experiences of migrant children and youth in Chile, with a notable emphasis on the mitigating effect of migrant status on the relationship between child maltreatment and depressive symptoms. It highlights the resilience and potential adaptive strategies of migrant minors facing adversity. The findings underscore the necessity of developing support and intervention strategies that recognize the specific needs and strengths of migrant children and youth, advocating for policies that protect and empower this vulnerable demographic amidst new environmental challenges.

Childhood interpersonal violence exposure (IVE) is associated with repeated victimization in adolescence and adulthood. Research suggests dissociation, a psychological phenomenon characterized by alterations and disruptions to consciousness, memory, and perceptions of the environment, and out-of-body experiences, increases the risk of revictimization. Self-report data from a longitudinal study of 92 violence-exposed adolescent girls from a large, urban area were analyzed to assess whether dissociation predicts polyvictimization or exposure to multiple types of interpersonal violence across adolescence. Participants\' mental and interpersonal health was assessed at four in-person laboratory visits scheduled across 3.5 years (i.e., T1-T4). IVE included direct or indirect victimization experienced at home, school, the neighborhood, or town, such as child maltreatment, domestic violence, peer victimization, dating aggression, and community violence. Polyvictimization was operationalized as a composite score of the different types of IVE endorsed by the participant or caregiver. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to test the bidirectional relationships between dissociation and polyvictimization longitudinally. Cross-lagged regressions were analyzed to determine whether dissociation and polyvictimization predicted subsequent dissociation symptoms and polyvictimization. Concurrent and previous dissociation significantly accounted for polyvictimization at T2, T3, and T4. Polyvictimization did not significantly predict future dissociation symptoms. The results from this study provide support for dissociation\'s unique contribution to polyvictimization among violence-exposed girls, making it an important target for clinical assessment and treatment.

We use latent class analysis, a life course framework, and information on the type, frequency, and timing of trauma exposure to identify distinct polytrauma groups in a national sample of women (AddHealth). We compare the identified polytrauma groups and their associations with mental health in adulthood in women with and without incarceration histories. A unique group with polyvictimization (neglect, physical, sexual) exposure in childhood by a caregiver in women with incarceration histories was not identified in women without incarceration histories. We find evidence of distinct associations between polytrauma groups and mental health and possibly, criminal justice involvement, in adulthood.

Cumulative trauma is usually devastating and can lead to severe psychological consequences, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Exposure to various types of traumas, particularly during childhood, can be even more deleterious than the sheer number of events experienced. This epidemiological study is the first to investigate the impact of discrete childhood traumatic exposure on the risk of developing lifetime PTSD in a representative sample of the general population of the two biggest Brazilian cities. Participants were aged between 15 and 75 years old, living in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who had experienced traumatic events (N = 3,231). The PTSD diagnosis was assessed using the DSM-IV criteria through the version 2.1 of Composite International Diagnostic Interview. To operationalize childhood cumulative trauma, we considered the sum of 15 different childhood trauma categories that occurred before PTSD onset. The final multivariate logistic regression model indicated a strong relationship between the number of discrete types of childhood traumas and the likelihood of the lifetime PTSD development. The lifetime PTSD risk increased 28 % with each different type of childhood trauma when adjusted by confounds. Our study strengthens the evidence associating childhood cumulative trauma to increased lifetime PTSD risk.

South African adolescents experience a high prevalence of violence victimization alongside the health and economic burdens of HIV/AIDS and poverty. Polyvictimization is a useful theory and framework that allows for a nuanced understanding of lived adolescent experience patterns. Polyvictimization examinations are further enriched by person-centered analytical approaches. This study used latent class analysis to differentiate a sample of South African adolescents from highly deprived communities by their polyvictimization profiles and contextual violence risk and protective factors. Adolescents were sampled twice (2010/2011; 2011/2012), and data reflected their lifetime (sexual abuse) or recent (all other forms of assessed abuse/violence) violence victimizations, as well as individual, household, and community characteristics. Model fit indices supported a seven-class model with adolescents in high, moderate, and low polyvictimization classes. Adolescents in the high polyvictimization classes experienced a heavy burden of poverty and multiple forms of violence across contexts and were distinguished by HIV/AIDS and disability. Adolescents in the low polyvictimization class experienced relatively little violence, despite living in violent communities, and low household and individual burdens of HIV/AIDS and disability. Findings emphasize the importance of considering adolescent violence through a contextually sensitive polyvictimization lens to understand the complex web of violence that adolescents experience. This work supports previous research in low-resource South African settings highlighting the interconnected nature of violence, poverty, disability, and HIV/AIDS. Future research should explore these complex violence patterns and their effects, while program and policy actions must target and prevent adolescent violence especially for those impacted by poverty, disability, and HIV/AIDS.

The current study examined how interpersonal racial discrimination experiences operate together with other forms of interpersonal violence to contribute to mental health symptoms among justice-involved adolescents of color. Participants were 118 justice-involved adolescents of color aged 14 to 17 (M = 15.77, SD = 1.08; 52.5% male; 77.1% Black/African American) and their mothers. At baseline, adolescents reported on experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination, harsh parenting, teen dating violence, and exposure to interparental physical intimate partner violence. At baseline and the 3-month follow-up assessment, adolescents reported on trauma symptoms, and adolescents and their mothers reported on the adolescents\' externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Multivariate multilevel modeling results indicated that interpersonal racial discrimination experiences contributed additively to adolescent mental health symptoms at both the baseline and 3-month follow-up assessments, after accounting for exposure to other forms of interpersonal violence. The current findings highlight the importance of considering adolescents\' experiences of interpersonal racial discrimination, together with other forms of interpersonal violence, in work focused on understanding the mental health symptoms of justice-involved adolescents of color.

This paper aims to contribute to the knowledge base about the lives of individuals who experience incarceration in the U.S. in order to advance post-release intervention services. Research has shown that among the millions of Americans who cycle through prisons and jails each year, the majority are poor, in poor health, living in contexts of chronic violence, often with mental illness, and more than half are people of color. Of particular concern for this population are high rates of trauma exposure and PTSD, though the research in this area is underdeveloped, particularly for men. Using survey data gathered during a large (n = 1,516, 90% male) multi-state randomized control trial of a reentry intervention, this study used latent class analysis (LCA) to explore types and timing of trauma exposures across the life course. LCA has been found to be an effective statistical tool in intervention research for identifying high-risk groups and for informing the tailoring of interventions. This study found three latent classes: 1) Lifetime Interpersonal Polyvictimization, 2) Lifetime Environmental Exposures, and 3) Low Exposure. About one third of the sample fell within each class. Study findings indicate that not only should trauma-informed and trauma-specific interventions be the norm in reentry services, including for men, but that these interventions should target both individual and environmental factors.