Ethnic Differences in Reporting Shame I mpacting PTSD in Childhood Abuse

1. Purpose • The purpose of the study is to determine if there are differences in types of abuse and PTSD outcomes for different ethnic groups. This study seeks to investigate whether the effect of childhood abuse on PTSD symptoms is mediated through shame. • Introduction • Childhood abuse survivors have a higher risk of developing PTSD (Andrews, Brewin, Rose, & Kirt, 2000). • Some types of trauma are more likely than others to provoke PTSD, for example sexual abuse (Adshead, 2000). • Feeling of shame increases the likelihood of PTSD symptoms (Deblinger, & Runyon, 2005). • The sense of shame tends to be more manifest in the Latin cultures than in the Anglo-American culture (Albert & Ah Ha, 2004). • It seems that for the Latinos, shame is more related to a family or group membership identity (Berntsen & Rubin, 2007). • Unfortunately, cultural differences in the role of shame in PTSD and the likelihood of reporting abuse have not received adequate research attention. • Methods • Utilized an existing archival data set from a larger study that is being conducted at CSUSB that is examining female victims of childhood abuse. • College women were recruited from various undergraduate classes within the CSUSB campus, Southern California rape crisis centers and women’s health centers. • All participants had to be at least 18 years old to participate in the study. • There are no other restrictions on who may participate in the study. • All of the participants were treated in accordance with the APA ethical standards and safety monitoring. • Results • For all groups, shame partially mediated the relationship between abuse and PTSD for emotional and physical abuse. • For Latina’s the effect of neglect also was partially mediated by shame, and the effect of sexual abuse was fully mediated. • Discussion • The results showed that the mediation of shame of most abuse types and ethnic groups predictions of PTSD were partially mediated. The results suggest that Latina women who experience shame from sexual abuse are at greater risk to develop high rates of PTSD. This is an important finding that shows Latina women may need greater help to deal with emotions of shame when they have experienced sexual abuse. • Future studies should consider replicating the study and look at gender differences. These results can be applied to parent education programs or counseling training, which can help family members of Latinas who have experienced childhood abuse. In addition, survivors of childhood abuse and their families will better understand the importance of developing a strong ethnic identity as a protective factor and the importance for all family members to understand the debilitating nature of shame in their children’s lives. • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • Dr. Matt Riggs, & The Women’s Trauma & Resiliency Research Team. The second author’s contribution is patially supported by an NIH/NCMHD funded Research Infrastructure for Minority Serving Institutions (RIMI) Grant (MD002722). • CONTACT INFORMATION • Guadalupe Valdivia, M.A. • Department of Psychology • valdivi1@csusb.edu • 909-567-4013 • Dr. David Chavez, Professor • Department of Psychology • dchavez@csusb.edu • 909-537-5572 • Stephanie Loera, B.A. • Department of Psychology • MEASURES • Demographic Information Questionnaire • Age, Gender, Marital Status, Ethnicity, Education, & Income. • Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) (Bernstein et al., 1994) • CTQ scores higher than 6=> abuse • Cronbach’s coefficient alpha = .84 • Experience of Shame Scale (ESS) (Andrew, 2002) • Cronbach’s coefficient alpha = .93 • Penn Inventory for PTSD (Hammarberg, 1992) • Cronbach’s coefficient alpha = .94 • PROCEDURE • The participants were given a packet that consisted of an informed consent, demographic sheet, and several self-report measures. • During the debriefing process, all participants were asked if they would like to discuss their experiences and feelings about the study. • In closing, all participants were given a resource packet with several contact information for sexual assault, domestic violence, mental health and other agencies. • PARTICIPANTS • Total of 524 women. • The average age was 26.13 years. • Majority of the participants identified marital status as single, had an average income that was between $30,999 to $35,000, had an Associate Degree, and identify as Mexican American/Chicano/Hispanic/Latino. Ethnic Differencesin Reporting Shame Impacting PTSD in Childhood Abuse Guadalupe Valdivia, David V. Chavez, & Stephanie Loera California State University, San Bernardino