Polyvictimization and developmental trauma in childhood

Abstract

Background : Polyvictimization (Gilbar & Ford, 2020 ) and developmental trauma (van der Kolk, Ford, & Spinazzola, 2019 ) have been identified in the past decade as empirically operationalized high impact forms of cumulative childhood trauma (Ford, 2015 ). Childhood polyvictimization (PV) is defined as experiencing multiple types of interpersonal victimization sequentially or concurrently at any point in childhood (lifetime) or in the past year (recent). Childhood developmental trauma (DT) is defined as a combination of traumatic interpersonal victimization and disruption in attachment bonds with primary caregiver(s). Objective : To present an overview of research findings to date and a systematic agenda for research on polyvictimization and developmental trauma over the next decade. Method : A systematic review of research on polyvictimization and developmental trauma in childhood was conducted in peer-reviewed publications from 2010 to 2020. Results : More than 100 empirical studies of PV or DT were reviewed. Childhood PV was associated with both the risk and severity of internalizing and externalizing disorders, specifically with PTSD when victimization is sufficiently severe to be traumatic. Childhood DT was associated with dysregulation in three domains (affective/physiological, attentional/behavioural, self/relational) that can be reliably and validly assessed with 15 symptoms that are distinct from the symptoms of ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD (see Table 1 ). Table 1. Developmental trauma disorder (DTD) symptoms Emotion or somatic dysregulation o B1: Emotion dysregulation (either B1.a. extreme negative affect states; or B1.b. impaired recovery from negative affect states) o B2: Somatic dysregulation (either B2.a. aversion to touch; or B2.b. aversion to sounds; or B2.c. somatic distress/illness that cannot be medically explained/resolved) o B3: Impaired access to emotion or somatic feelings (either B3.a. absence of emotion; or B3.b. physical anaesthesia that cannot be medically explained/resolved) o B4: Impaired Emotion or Somatic Verbal Mediation/Expression (either B4.a. alexithymia; or B4.b. impaired ability to recognize/express somatic feelings/states) Attentional or behavioural dysregulation o C1: Attention bias towards or away from threat (either C1.a. threat-related rumination; or C1.b. hyper- or hypo-vigilance to actual or potential danger) o C 2: Impaired self-protection (either C2.a. extreme risk-taking or recklessness; or, C2.b. intentional provocation of conflict or violence) o C 3: Maladaptive self-soothing o C4: Non-suicida...

Child and Adolescent Multiple Victimization and/or Polyvictimization: A Portuguese Comparative Study

“…The results also reveal that the experience of victimization can be cumulative, resulting in multiple victimization (two or more experiences) or in polyvictimization (more than four situations of victimization). The literature alerts us to these phenomena, and emphasizes that children and adolescents can be exposed to violence and crime in different contexts (home, school, community), as shown by international studies [1,10,14,26,29,33,45]. This finding is particularly relevant to the need to produce a timely diagnosis of these situations, given the negative impact that the experience of adverse situations has on the development of children and adolescents, in the short, medium and long term [2,31,43,49].…”

“…Studies warn that when children and adolescents are victimized in different ways and in different contexts, they may be more likely to be more affected in their psychological adjustment than those children and adolescents who suffer from a single type of victimization, even if it is over a long period of time [26,33]. Studies also confirm that when one type of victimization occurs, it can become a predictor for the occurrence of other victimizations [10,26].…”

“…In recent decades, several review studies have established the close association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which can occur through single, multiple, and polyvictimization, and the development of childhood trauma [32][33][34][35]. This approach, centered on ACEs, has been widely theoretically debated [36] and empirically validated by several studies [32,37] seeking to answer several questions and present intervention proposals that prove to be efficient and effective for this problem [38].…”

Associations among Maternal Trauma History, Postnatal Maternal Sensitivity, and Infant Temperament

“…It is important to consider that the IDAHO Mom Study was not primarily designed for trauma research, and it is possible that participants who may have had more diverse trauma-related experiences were excluded from the study upon eligibility screening due to endorsement of associated risk factors (e.g., serious mental health concerns). Moreover, while the continuous trauma variables provided an estimate of overall trauma exposure and post-trauma impairment, revictimization and polyvictimization were not distinguished from one another and could have elucidated outcome differences if assessed separately [ 57 , 58 ]. Additionally, given that maternal trauma history was assessed in the prenatal period and maternal sensitivity and infant temperament were both assessed in the 6-month postpartum session, it is possible that trauma exposure and impairment across trauma domains could have changed between sessions and therefore may not have comprehensively captured variable relationships.…”

An exploration of staff views of a trauma-informed pathway in a sentenced and remand prison

“…People in prison and the wider criminal justice system have a high incidence of developmental trauma and poly-traumatisation throughout their lives (Ford, 2021). Many of the prison population experience a cluster of psychosocial issues that are referred to as severe and multiple disadvantage (SMD).…”