Research
Scientific
research publications from other websites.
Stress exposure in intrauterine
life is associated with shorter telomere length in young adulthood
Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a predictor
of age-related disease onset and mortality. The association in adults
of psychosocial stress or stress biomarkers with LTL suggests telomere
biology may represent a possible underlying mechanism linking stress
and health outcomes. It is, however, unknown whether stress exposure
in intrauterine life can produce variations in LTL, thereby potentially
setting up a long-term trajectory for disease susceptibility.
more: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/33/E513.full
Childhood Maltreatment Predicts
Unfavorable Course of Illness and Treatment Outcome in Depression: A
Meta-Analysis
Results: A meta-analysis of 16 epidemiological studies (23,544 participants)
suggested that childhood maltreatment was associated with an elevated
risk of developing recurrent and persistent depressive episodes (odds
ratio=2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.80–2.87). A meta-analysis
of 10 clinical trials (3,098 participants) revealed that childhood maltreatment
was associated with lack of response or remission during treatment for
depression (odds ratio=1.43, 95% CI=1.11–1.83). Meta-regression
analyses suggested that the results were not significantly affected
by publication bias, choice of outcome measure, inclusion of prevalence
or incidence samples, study quality, age of the sample, or lifetime
prevalence of depression.
Conclusions: Childhood maltreatment predicts unfavorable course of illness
and treatment outcome in depression.
more: http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/appi.ajp.2011.11020335v1
Uher said that the findings could help
in the care of people with mental illness. "Whilst we still do
not know exactly what type of treatment may improve the care of maltreated
individuals, it may be that new treatments based on the biological vulnerabilities
associated with childhood maltreatment could prove an exciting avenue
for research." could help doctors develop new methods tailored
to their "biological vulnerabilities."
Article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/aug/15/depression-childhood-abuse-maltreatment
Association
of Childhood Adversities and Early-Onset Mental Disorders With Adult-Onset
Chronic Physical Conditions
A history of 3 or more childhood adversities
was independently associated with onset of all 6 physical conditions
(hazard ratios, 1.44 to 2.19). Controlling for current mental disorder
made little difference to these associations. Early-onset mental disorders
were independently associated with onset of 5 physical conditions (hazard
ratios, 1.43 to 1.66).
more:
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/8/838
Epigenetics
and stress
Baby blues
A mother’s stress while she is pregnant can have a long-lasting
effect on her children’s genes
RESEARCHERS
have known for years that children whose mothers were chronically stressed
during pregnancy—by famine, anxiety, the death of a relative or
marital discord, for instance—show higher-than-normal rates of
various psychological and behavioural disorders when they are adults.
They have also known for a long time that those brought up in abusive
environments often turn out to be abusive themselves. The second of
these observations is usually put down to learning. The reason for the
first has remained unclear. A study just published by Axel Meyer, Thomas
Elbert and their colleagues at the University of Konstanz in Germany,
however, points to a phenomenon called epigenetics
as the likely answer. And if Drs Meyer and Elbert are right, it also
suggests an alternative explanation for the inheritance of abusiveness.
Epigenetics is a type of gene regulation that can be passed from a cell
to its daughters.
The most common mechanism is methylation. This attaches methyl groups
(a carbon atom and three hydrogens) to either adenine or cytosine, two
of the four chemical bases that form the alphabet of DNA, depending
on the gene involved. The consequence is to inactivate the gene being
methylated.
more
Transgenerational
impact of intimate partner violence
on methylation in the promoter of the glucocorticoid
receptor
KM Radtke1,2,4, M Ruf1,4, HM Gunter2,3,4, K Dohrmann1, M Schauer1, A
Meyer2 and T Elbert1
Prenatal exposure to maternal stress can have lifelong implications
for psychological function, such as behavioral problems and even the
development of mental illness. Previous research suggests that this
is due to transgenerational epigenetic programming of genes operating
in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, such as the
glucocorticoid receptor (GR). However, it is not known whether intrauterine
exposure to maternal stress affects the epigenetic state of these genes
beyond infancy. Here, we analyse the methylation status of the GR gene
in mothers and their children, at 10–19 years after birth. We
combine these data with a retrospective evaluation of maternal exposure
to intimate partner violence (IPV). Methylation of the mother’s
GR gene was not affected by IPV. For the first time, we show that methylation
status of the GR gene of adolescent children is influenced by their
mother’s experience of IPV during pregnancy. As these sustained
epigenetic modifications are established in utero, we consider this
to be a plausible mechanism by which prenatal stress may program adult
psychosocial function.
more
Fascination
violence: on mind and brain of man hunters
Thomas Elbert • Roland Weierstall •
Maggie Schauer
Abstract
Why are savagery and violence so omnipresent among humans? We suggest
that hunting behaviour is fascinating and attractive, a desire that
makes temporary deprivation from physical needs, pain, sweat, blood
and, ultimately, the willingness to kill tolerable and even appetitive.
Evolutionary development into the ‘‘perversion’’
of the urge to hunt humans, that is to say the transfer of this hunt
to members of one’s own species, has been nurtured by the resultant
advantage of personal and social power and dominance. While a breakdown
of the inhibition towards intra-specific killing would endanger any
animal species, controlled inhibition was enabled in humans in that
higher regulatory systems, such as frontal lobe-based executive functions,
prevent the involuntary derailment of hunting behaviour. If this control—such
as in child soldiers for example—is not learnt, then brutality
towards humans remains fascinating and appealing. Blood must flow in
order to kill. It is hence an appetitive cue as is the struggling of
the victim. Hunting for men, more rarely for women, is fascinating and
emotionally arousing with the parallel release of testosterone, serotonin
and endorphins, which can produce feelings of euphoria and alleviate
pain.
Bonding and social rites (e.g. initiation) set up the constraints for
both hunting and violent disputes. Children learn which conditions legitimate
aggressive behaviour and which not. Big game hunting as well as attack
of other communities is more successful in groups—men also perceive
it as more pleasurable. This may explain the fascination with gladiatorial
combat, violent computer games but as well ritualized forms like football.
read
Abuse
victims struggle with mental health problems
Drug addiction, alcoholism and male prostitution.
For John Swales, a sex abuse victim of Barry Glendinning, the fallout
was almost instant after the priest was arrested. Many victims remain
at the same maturity level as the age when they were abused.
more: http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Abuse+victims+struggle+with+mental+health+problems/5148483/story.html
How
domestic abuse can scar an unborn child for life
High
levels of stress during pregnancy can cause an unborn child to have
lifelong mental scars, according to researchers.
They
believe a mother facing unnecessary crises can leave an imprint in the
brains of her children, making them less able to cope as they get older.
The gene – called the glucocorticoid receptor – is involved
in the brain’s response to stress. The German researchers found
that the gene was far less active in children whose mothers were victims
of domestic abuse when they were pregnant. Abuse after pregnancy did
not appear to affect the way the gene responded in the brains of their
children.
Helen
Gunter, of the University of Konstanz, said: ‘It changes the way
that people respond to stress and they may have a reduced ability to
respond to stress.
Past studies have shown that children who have abused parents are more
prone to depression later in life.’ Dr Gunter, who reported the
findings in the journal Translational Psychiatry, said the study looked
only at the extreme stress caused by partner violence.
more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2016452/Babies-born-stressed-mothers-struggle-emotional-scars-life.html
Are
Sex Offenders Treatable? A Research Overview
Linda S. Grossman, Ph.D., Brian Martis, M.D. and Christopher G. Fichtner,
M.D.
RESULTS:
Although rigorous research designs are difficult to achieve, studies
comparing treated and untreated sex offenders have been done. Measurement
of outcome is flawed, with recidivism rates underestimating actual recurrence
of the pathological behavior. Outcome research suggests a reduction
in recidivism of 30 percent over seven years, with comparable effectiveness
for hormonal and cognitive-behavioral treatments. Institutionally based
treatment is associated with poorer outcome than outpatient treatment,
and the nature of the offender's criminal record is an important prognostic
factor. CONCLUSIONS: Although treatment does not eliminate sexual crime,
research supports the view that treatment can decrease sex offense and
protect potential victims. However, given the limitations in scientific
knowledge and accuracy of outcome data, as well as the potential high
human costs of prognostic uncertainty, any commitment to a social project
substituting treatment for imprisonment of sexual aggressors must be
accompanied by vigorous research.
Problems
in sex offender research
Assessment
One of the most difficult issues in the treatment of sex offenders is
how to measure improvement. Investigators have not identified a standardized
measurement technique that they agree can reliably and validly measure
the frequency of sex offenses.
Sex offenders' self-reports or significant others' reports are not reliable
indexes of recidivism (10,11). Arrest records underreport sexual offenses
(5,12,13); the vast majority of sexual offenses, estimated at greater
than 93 percent, are never reported to the police, and fewer than 1
percent of sex offenders are arrested (14). Even fewer are convicted.
Arrest and conviction records are also affected by administrative policies
that determine which subjects are hospitalized rather than incarcerated.
Furthermore, many sex offenders plea bargain—that is, they plead
guilty to lesser charges of crimes that are not sexual offenses.
more: http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/50/3/349#ABS
The
Link Between Adrenal Fatigue and DNA Methylation
Published:
Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients - May 2005
Editor:
Adrenal function is vital to life: without cortisol we die. This fact
has been known since the 1930s when it was described by Banting and
Best.
Glucocorticords are essential for maintaining carbohydrate, protein
and fat metabolism.
They also have a permissive effect which allows for glucagon and catecholamines
to work.
Important glucocorticoid effects include the normal functioning of the
nervous system, water metabolism, vascular reactivity, regulation of
circulating lymphocytes and the immune system and resistance to stress.
Complete lack ofadrenal function is a disease state known as Addison's
Disease. It is an autoimmune disease usually, caused by antibodies that
attack the adrenal gland.
Conventional medicine only recognizes two states: you either make cortisol
or you don't. Allopathic physicians are unaware of the decline in adrenal
function as illness becomes chronic.
continue: http://www.susansolomonmd.com/adrenal_article.html
Wounds That Time Won’t Heal:
The Neurobiology of Child Abuse
Martin H. Teicher
Neuropsychologist
Teicher reveals the alarming connections scientists are discovering
between child abuse—even when it is psychological, not physical—and
permanent debilitating changes in the brain that may lead to psychiatric
problems. The discoveries are a wake-up call for our society, but they
may also hold hope for new treatments for abused children and the adults
that they become.
More
Inside
the Mind of a Psychopath
The
word “psychopath” conjures up movie images of brutal, inexplicable
violence:
Jack Nicholson chasing his family with an ax in The Shining or Anthony
Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, his face locked into an armored mask to
keep him from biting people to death.
But
real life offers another set of images, that of killers making nice:
Ted Bundy as law student and aide to the governor of Washington State,
and John Wayne Gacy as the Junior Chamber of Commerce’s “Man
of the Year.” Psychopaths
are likable guys when they want to be.
continue: http://www.themindinstitute.org/docs/kiehl_buckholtz_sam0910022_final.pdf
Sexually
Abused Children at Risk for Adult Psychosis
A new
report suggests children who are sexually abused may be at higher risk
for developing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
The
Austrian study found that a history of sexual abuse with penetration
especially increased the risk. (A)
Previous
studies have established that abused children are more likely to develop
depression, anxiety, substance abuse, borderline personality disorder,
post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal behavior, according to background
information in the article.
continue: http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/11/04/sexually-abused-children-at-risk-for-adult-psychosis/20535.html
The
latest Mayo-Clinic study conclusion to:
“Sexual
Abuse and Lifetime Diagnosis of Psychiatric Disorders: Systematic Review
and Meta-analysis”
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To systematically assess the evidence for
an association between sexual abuse and a lifetime diagnosis of
psychiatric disorders.
There
was a statistically significant association between sexual abuse and
a lifetime diagnosis of anxiety disorder
(OR, 3.09; 95% CI, 2.43-3.94), depression (OR, 2.66; 95% CI, 2.14-3.30),
eating disorders (OR, 2.72; 95% CI, 2.04-3.63),
posttraumatic stress disorder (OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.59-3.43), sleep disorders
(OR, 16.17; 95% CI, 2.06-126.76), and suicide attempts (OR, 4.14; 95%
CI, 2.98-5.76).
Associations persisted regardless of the victim's sex or the age at
which abuse occurred.
There was no statistically significant association between sexual abuse
and a diagnosis of schizophrenia or somatoform disorders. No longitudinal
studies that assessed bipolar disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder
were found.
Associations between sexual abuse and depression, eating disorders,
and posttraumatic stress disorder were strengthened by a history of
rape.
CONCLUSION:
A history of sexual abuse is associated with an increased risk of a
lifetime diagnosis of multiple psychiatric disorders.
continue: http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/content/85/7/618.abstract?etoc
Video
research introduction: http://www.scivee.tv/node/18244
Characteristics
of Studies Included in Review:
http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/content/suppl/2010/05/10/mcp.2009.0583.DC1/Chen_eAppendix.pdf
Sexual
Abuse
Elizabeth
ODDONE Paolucci A1, Mark L. Genuis A1, Claudio Violato A2
A1
National Foundation for Family Research and Education, Calgary, Canada
A2 Department of Applied Psychology, University of Calgary, Canada
Abstract:
A meta-analysis of the published research on the effects of child sexual
abuse (CSA) was undertaken for 6 outcomes: posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD), depression, suicide, sexual promiscuity, victim-perpetrator
cycle, and poor academic performance.
Thirty-seven studies published between 1981 and 1995 involving 25,367
people were included.
Many of the studies were published in 1994 (24; 65%), and most were
done in the United States (22; 59%).
All six dependent variables were coded, and effect sizes (d) were computed
for each outcome.
Average unweighted and weighted ds for each of the respective outcome
variables were .50 and .40 for PTSD, .63 and .44 for depression, .64
and .44 for suicide, .59 and .29 for sexual promiscuity, .41 and .16
for victim-perpetrator cycle, and .24 and .19 for academic performance.
A file drawer analysis indicated that 277 studies with null ds would
be required to negate the present findings. The analyses provide clear
evidence confirming the link between CSA and subsequent negative short-
and long-term effects on development. There were no statistically significant
differences on ds when various potentially mediating variables such
as gender, socioeconomic status, type of abuse, age when abused, relationship
to perpetrator, and number of abuse incidents were assessed. The results
of the present meta-analysis support the multifaceted model of traumatization
rather than a specific sexual abuse syndrome of CSA.
more: http://heldref-publications.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,2,10;journal,58,82;linkingpublicationresults,1:119938,1
Early life stress can
result in behavioural problems: Study
November 9th, 2009
London, November 09 (ANI): Early life trauma
and stress can result in behavioural problems, according to a new study
in mice.
Christopher
Murgatroyd, a scientist from the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry
in Munich, Germany, who led the study,
briefed that the stressed mice produced hormones that “changed”
their genes, to affect their long-term behavioural “programme.”
The
researchers had to cause stress to newborn mice to observe the affect
on them throughout their lives.
“We separated the pups from their mothers for three hours each
day for ten days,” the BBC News quoted Murgatroyd as saying. He
added: “It was a very mild stress and the animals were not affected
at a nutritional level, but they would [have felt] abandoned.”
It was found that those mice “abandoned” early on in their
lives had become less able to cope with stressful situations and also
had poorer memories.
Murgatroyd said that these results were because of “epigenetic
changes”, meaning the alteration in the DNA of some of the animals’
genes.
Murgatroyd said: “This is a two-step mechanism.”
continue: http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/early-life-stress-can-result-in-behavioural-problems-study_100272030.html
Dynamic DNA methylation programs
persistent adverse effects of early-life stress
Chris Murgatroyd , Alexandre V Patchev , Yonghe Wu , Vincenzo Micale
, Yvonne Bockm|[uuml]|hl ,
Dieter Fischer , Florian Holsboer , Carsten T Wotjak , Osborne F X Almeida
& Dietmar Spengler
Abstract
Adverse early life events can induce long-lasting changes in physiology
and behavior. We found that early-life stress (ELS) in mice caused enduring
hypersecretion of corticosterone and alterations in passive stress coping
and memory.
This phenotype was accompanied by a persistent increase in arginine
vasopressin (AVP) expression in neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular
nucleus and was reversed by an AVP receptor antagonist. Altered Avp
expression was associated with sustained DNA hypomethylation of an important
regulatory region that resisted age-related drifts in methylation and
centered on those CpG residues that serve as DNA-binding sites for the
methyl CpG–binding protein
2 (MeCP2). We found that neuronal activity controlled the ability of
MeCP2 to regulate activity-dependent transcription
of the Avp gene and induced epigenetic marking. Thus, ELS can dynamically
control DNA methylation in postmitotic neurons to generate stable changes
in Avp expression that trigger neuroendocrine and behavioral alterations
that are frequent features in depression.
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/v12/n12/pdf/nn.2436.pdf
Researchers
find genetic link between physical pain and social rejection
(A)
By Stuart Wolpert
| 8/17/2009 9:15:00 AM
CLA psychologists have determined for the first time that a gene linked
with physical pain sensitivity is associated with
social pain sensitivity as well.
Their study indicates that variation in the mu-opioid receptor gene
(OPRM1), often associated with physical pain, is related to how much
social pain a person feels in response to social rejection. People with
a rare form of the gene are more sensitive to rejection and experience
more brain evidence of distress in response to rejection than those
with the more common form.
The research was published Aug. 14 in the early online edition of Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences and
will appear in the print version in the coming weeks.
The findings give weight to the common notion that rejection "hurts"
by showing that a gene regulating the body's
most potent painkillers — mu-opioids — is involved in socially
painful experiences too, said study co-author Naomi Eisenberger, UCLA
assistant professor of psychology and director of UCLA's Social and
Affective Neuroscience Laboratory.
more at: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/a-genetic-link-between-pain-and-98593.aspx
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in
Abused and Neglected Children Grown Up
Cathy Spatz Widom, Ph.D.
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this study was to describe the extent to which childhood
abuse and neglect increase a person's risk for subsequent posttraumatic
stress disorder (PTSD) and to determine whether the relationship to
PTSD persists despite controls for family, individual, and lifestyle
characteristics associated with both childhood victimization and PTSD.
METHOD: Victims of substantiated child abuse and neglect from 1967 to
1971 in a Midwestern metropolitan county area were matched on the basis
of age, race, sex, and approximate family socioeconomic class with a
group of nonabused and nonneglected children and followed prospectively
into young adulthood. Subjects (N=1,196) were located and administered
a 2-hour interview that included the National Institute of Mental Health
Diagnostic Interview Schedule to assess PTSD.
RESULTS: Childhood victimization was associated with increased risk
for lifetime and current PTSD.
More
at: Am J Psychiatry 156:1223-1229, August 1999
© 1999 American Psychiatric Association http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/156/8/1223
Antisocial
personality disorder in abused and neglected children grown up
BK Luntz and CS Widom
University at Albany School of Criminal Justice, NY 12222.
OBJECTIVE:
the authors' goal in this study was to examine the extent to which having
been abused and/or neglected
in childhood raises a person's risk for having an adult DSM-III-R diagnosis
of antisocial personality disorder.
METHOD: Children who had experienced substantiated child abuse and/or
neglect from 1967 to 1971 in a Midwestern metropolitan county area were
matched on the basis of age, race, sex, and approximate family social
class with a group of nonabused and nonneglected children and followed
prospectively into young adulthood. Subjects were located and participated
in a 2-hour interview consisting of a series of structured and semistructured
questions, rating scales, and a psychiatric assessment using the National
Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule.
Interviews were completed with 699 young adult subjects (416 abused
and/or neglected and 283 comparison subjects).
RESULTS: Childhood victimization was a significant predictor of the
number of lifetime symptoms of antisocial personality disorder and of
a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, despite the fact that
controls for demographic characteristics and arrest history were introduced.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the importance of inquiring about
a patient's childhood history of abuse and/or neglect when antisocial
symptoms are evident. In addition to speculation about a possible saturation
model for the consequences of childhood victimization, these findings
also reinforce a multiple causation model of antisocial personality
disorder.
Am J Psychiatry 1994; 151:670-674
Copyright © 1994 by American Psychiatric Association http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/151/5/670
Is
Abuse during Childhood a Risk Factor for Developing Substance Abuse
Problems as an Adult?
BENNETT, ELIZABETH M. B.S.; KEMPER, KATHI J. M.D., M.P.H.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between a
history of childhood physical abuse and later substance abuse, controlling
for family history of substance abuse. The study was a cross-sectional
survey.
Subjects were a convenience sample of mothers with children younger
than 6 years being seen for routine care in five pediatric clinics.
Mothers were given an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire on
demographics, substance abuse, history of physical abuse, and family
history of substance abuse. Of the 733 respondents, 24% reported having
been physically abused, 24% reported a family history of substance abuse,
and 36% had a positive screen for substance abuse.
A positive screen for substance abuse was more common among those who
reported having been abused than those who had not (47% vs 32%, p <
.001). After controlling for family history of substance abuse, a history
of being abused remained significantly associated with current substance
abuse (odds ratio = 1.58, 95% confidence interval 1.1, 2.2).
Suffering abuse during childhood is a significant risk factor for later
substance abuse, even after controlling for a family history of substance
abuse. Clinicians treating victims of abuse may wish to include substance
abuse prevention measures.
J Dev Behav Pediatr 15:426-429, 1994. Index terms: alcohol abuse, drug
abuse, child abuse.
(C) Lippincott-Raven Publishers.http://journals.lww.com/jrnldbp/Abstract/1994/12000/Is_Abuse_during_Childhood_a_Risk_Factor_for.6.aspx
Developmental
traumatology: a contributory mechanism for alcohol and substance use
disorders
References
and further reading may be available for this article. To view references
and further reading you must purchase this article.
Michael
D. De Bellis
University
of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Developmental Traumatology Laboratory,
Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Abstract
Early childhood traumatic experiences, such as childhood maltreatment,
are associated with an enhanced risk of adolescent and adult alcohol
and substance use disorders (defined as DSM-IV alcohol or substance
abuse or dependence).
Maltreated children and adolescents manifest dysregulation of major
biological stress response systems including adverse influences on brain
development. Dysregulation of biological stress response systems may
lead to an enhanced
vulnerability for psychopathology, particularly posttraumatic stress
disorder (PTSD) and depression. These negative affect disorders may
put a child at increased risk for adolescent or young adult onset alcohol
or substance use disorders. Thus, studies in developmental traumatology
may prove to be critical in the effort to attempt to link the neurobiology
of maltreatment-related PTSD with the neurobiology of alcohol and substance
use disorders and in developing early strategies for the prevention
of adolescent and adult alcohol and substance use disorders.
read
all
On the Corrective Emotional Experience
In the era of Freud and psychoanalysis the linchpin of the therapy was
the analysis of transference:
how the patient responds to the doctor and (counter transference) how
the doctor reacts to the patient.
The whole idea was to change the patient through a corrective emotional
relationship. Helping her to be more independent, not rely for advice
or love and guidance from the doctor. Now decades later, that notion
of the corrective emotional experience has gained many adherents. It
is still in essence the analysis of transference.
http://cigognenews.blogspot.com/2009/04/on-corrective-emotional-experience.html
Social support and oxytocin interact
to suppress cortisol
and subjective responses to psychosocial stress
BACKGROUND: The presence of social support
has been associated with decreased stress responsiveness.
Recent animal studies suggest that the neuropeptide oxytocin is implicated
both in prosocial behavior and in the central nervous control of neuroendocrine
responses to stress. This study was designed to determine the
effects of social support and oxytocin on cortisol, mood, and anxiety
responses to psychosocial stress in humans.
more: http://www.oxytocin.org/oxy/socialsupport.html
Birth and Sex: How They Are Related
Anoxia, Reduced Oxygen at Birth and Adult Behavior...
Dr. Arthur Janov
Oxytocin (Part 1/5): http://cigognenews.blogspot.com/2009/03/oxytocin-part-15_14.html
Oxytocin (Part 2/5): http://cigognenews.blogspot.com/2009/03/oxytocin-part-25.html
Oxytocin (Part 3/5): http://cigognenews.blogspot.com/2009/03/oxytocin-part-35.html
Oxytocin (Part 4/5): http://cigognenews.blogspot.com/2009/04/oxytocin-part-45.html
Oxytocin (Part 5/5): http://cigognenews.blogspot.com/2009/04/oxytocin-part-55.html
Epigenetic Effects
of Childhood Abuse Found in Adults
Researchers
at McGill University in Montreal have discovered that adult males who
were the victims of significant physical and/or sexual abuse as children
carried a genetic imprint of that abuse into adulthood. One group studied
had committed suicide as adults, while another group consisted of suicides
but without childhood abuse.
A third group apparently consisted of living adults who had suffered
no abuse.
Men
with significant childhood abuse showed chemical markers on the glucocorticoid
gene receptor which mediates stress responses in the brain. Researchers
called the finding "quite significant." Childhood abuse can
"literally affect the genome and its operation," according
to researcher Michael Meaney.
More: http://mensnewsdaily.com/glennsacks/2009/03/03/epigenetic-effects-of-childhood-abuse-found-in-adults/
Epigenetic
additional information: http://cigognenews.blogspot.com/2008/07/inheritance-of-acquired-characteristics.html
Beta-blockers erase emotion of fearful
memories
Memory remains, but feeling of fear is less or gone, shows experimental
study in people
The first experimental study in humans connecting beta-blockers and
memory suggests these drugs, usually taken to treat heart conditions,
can also wipe away the emotions associated with frightening memories,
according to a study published online February 15 in Nature Neuroscience.
The power of such memories could be dampened when a person thinks about
the traumatic events after taking the drugs, the scientists say. (A)
more: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/40928/title/Beta-blockers_erase_emotion_of_fearful_memories
Thirty-Year Study Links Neuroscience,
Specific Trauma,
PTSD, Image Conversion, and Language Translation
Dee Spring, Ventura, CA
Abstract
Despite voluminous literature on trauma, studies on specific trauma
and art expression remain sparse.
Recurring graphic forms produced by sexual abuse victims have appeared
in art therapy publications dating back to Naumburg (1958), but links
between sexual abuse-assault and recurring graphic forms were not considered.
In 1973, this author began a 30-year study of recurring graphic forms
in drawings by this incidentspecific group. Results reveal victims produce
an artistic language not produced by nonvictims. Analyses using repeated
ANOVAS determined frequency of occurrence of graphic forms across 225
drawings of 45 adult females. Findings indicate distinct graphic forms
symbolize sensory-perceptual elements and stimulate integration of traumatic
effects by image conversion through language translation, artistic to
linguistic. (A)
More:
http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_
nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ682604&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ682604
Single Brain Cell Can Store Memory
US scientists studying brain cells in mice found that a single cell
in the front part of the brain can hold fleeting traces of memories
on its own for as long as a minute and perhaps even longer: it behaves
a bit like RAM, the short term memory storage used by computers.
Scientists already know that permanent memories get stored when glutamate
(an amino acid) switches on ion channels of brain cells to reorganize
and strengthen the way they connect to each other.
The study was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse; National
Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression; the Alexander
S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation; and the Department of Veterans
Affairs.
more: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/136628.php
Cortisol
and Imaginal Exposure in Posttraumatic Stress
Imaginal exposure is closely associated
with hippocampal processing of traumatic memory. The hippocampus is
a target for glucocorticoids which influence memory retrieval and stress
response. Glucocorticoid secretion in response to imaginal exposure
has not been investigated. We measured subjective distress and salivary
cortisol during the 1st and the 20th exposure session in a patient with
PTSD. Despite considerable arousal and anxiety, cortisol did not increase
during the first exposure. During the 20th exposure there was a marked
reduction of distress, although cortisol values did not differ from
exposure 1. The response of glucocorticoids to imaginal exposure and
mechanisms of the lacking cortisol response need further research (German
J Psychiatry 2002;5:75-77).
more: http://www.gjpsy.uni-goettingen.de/gjp-article-otte.pdf
or
Science News
Pain
Hurts More If Person Hurting You Means It
ScienceDaily (Dec. 20, 2008) — Researchers at Harvard University
have discovered that our experience of pain depends on whether we think
someone caused the pain intentionally. In their study, participants
who believed they were getting an electrical shock from another person
on purpose, rather than accidentally, rated the very same shock as more
painful. Participants seemed to get used to shocks that were delivered
unintentionally, but those given on purpose had a fresh sting every
time.
Improved
Foster Care Reduces Risk Of Adult Mental And Physical Illness, Study
Finds
ScienceDaily (June 6, 2008) — In the first controlled follow-up
study ever to examine the long-term health effects of foster care programs,
researchers from Harvard Medical School showed that the extremely high
rates of mental and physical disorders typically
found among adult alumni of public foster care programs were significantly
reduced among alumni of a private foster care program staffed by highly
trained social workers with low caseloads and good access to quality
services.
originaly published by: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602160721.htm
Coming Apart: Trauma
and the Fragmentation of the Self
http://www.dana.org/news/cerebrum/detail.aspx?id=11122
By David Spiegel, M.D.
About David Spiegel, M.D.
January 31, 2008
The controversial diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder
(DID) has replaced what once was called "multiple personality
disorder." People diagnosed with DID have trouble integrating their
memories, sense of identity, and aspects of consciousness into a unified
whole. New research supports the diagnosis and sheds light on what may
have gone wrong in patients' brains, suggests David Spiegel, M.D. Spiegel,
who chaired the professional working group that recommended the change
of name in psychiatry's principle diagnostic manual, notes that the
disorder likely stems from trauma and can be considered a severe form
of post-traumatic stress disorder. Among the biological
markers he describes are a smaller hippocampus and certain neurotransmitters.
A better understanding of the importance of specific regions of the
brain to memory and emotion may help push research forward. (A)
Running head: Brain
changes in posttraumatic stress disorder
Current Directions in Psychology (in press)
Structural
and functional neuroplasticity in relation to traumatic stress
Iris-Tatjana Kolassa, Thomas Elbert
Clinical Psychology & Neuropsychology, University of Konstanz, Germany
Abstract
The body’s stress response is an essential adaptive and protective
mechanism to cope with threatening situations. However, chronic or traumatic
stress leads to neuroplastic changes involving structural and functional
alterations in the traumatized brain. We argue for a building block
effect: exposure to different traumatic event types increases the probability
of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), via incremental
enlargement of a fear network. Evidence on neuroplastic changes in PTSD
is summarized, including recent results from research on animal models
of stress-related neuroplastic remodeling, with an emphasis on structural
and functional changes in the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the medial
prefrontal cortex.
Antidepressants and alternative
treatments for depression
by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP
http://www.womentowomen.com/depressionanxietyandmood/antidepressants.asp
Jackie was just 42 when she came to Women to Women for help. She had
gone to her prior healthcare provider complaining of fatigue and “feeling
low” two weeks out of every month. She had two active children,
kept house, helped her husband with his business, and cared for her
aging parents. No wonder Jackie was tired. But her doctor put her on
Prozac.
....Certain chronic pain conditions that primarily affect women, such
as fibromyalgia, endometriosis and rheumatoid arthritis, can cause mild
depression and multiple trips to the doctor’s office. While your
primary care doctor may be unable to resolve your chronic pain, he or
she can help make you happier about living with it. If they can satisfy
you and the HMO with a prescription, they feel they’ve done their
job.
....While doctors are under pressure from the managed care system on
the one hand, the influence of the pharmaceutical companies who make
antidepressants is truly pervasive.
Low Cortisol Levels May Predict
PTSD Risk
From Cathleen Henning Fenton,
Your Guide to Panic Disorder.
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our
Medical Review Board Researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center
(VAMC) in Bronx, NY, have been studying post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) in children of Holocaust survivors. A major conclusion of these
studies is that these children have a higher risk of developing PTSD
than other people. In a study presented in the August 2000 The American
Journal of Psychiatry, the research group discovered that adult children
with at least one parent who is a Holocaust survivor have low cortisol
levels. The discovery could mean that low cortisol levels may be predictive
of the development of PTSD.
Cortisol is a hormone that scientists associate with stress as well
as chronic mood disorders. During times of stress, cortisol levels rise
and then subside as the stress subsides. If stress is chronic or if
a chronic mood disorder (anxiety, depression) is present, increased
cortisol levels may indicate that the brain has become resistant to
cortisol's effects, scientists believe.
read
more
Study
links sexual abuse with obesity
Trauma may up weight gain
BY PEGGY O'FARRELL | POFARRELL@ENQUIRER.COM
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070730/NEWS01/707300371/1056/COL02
Young women who were sexually abused as children are more likely to
be obese than women who weren't abused, a new study finds.
One group of 84 girls had been sexually abused; the second group of
89 had not. Both groups included girls from similar
economic, ethnic and racial backgrounds. (A)
Researchers
find protein that might reinforce people's fears
Boston
Globe July 16, 2007
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2007/07/16/researchers_find_protein_that_might_reinforce_peoples_fears/
From post-traumatic stress disorder to
fear of heights, millions of Americans suffer from what scientists call
contextual
fear -- an emotional response tied to a specific life experience. (A)
A hippocampal Cdk5 pathway regulates
extinction of contextual fear
Published online: 15 July 2007; | doi:10.1038/nn1943
http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nn1943.html
Treatment
of emotional disorders involves the promotion of extinction processes,
which are defined as the learned reduction of fear.
more
Effect of post-retrieval propranolol
on psychophysiologic responding during subsequent
script-driven traumatic imagery in post-traumatic stress disorder.
Brunet
A, Orr SP, Tremblay J, Robertson K, Nader K, Pitman RK.
Department
of Psychiatry, McGill University and Douglas Hospital Research Center,
Montreal, QC, Canada.
The
beta-adrenergic blocker propranolol given within hours of a psychologically
traumatic event reduces physiologic responses during subsequent mental
imagery of the event. Here we tested the effect of propranolol given
after the retrieval of memories of past traumatic events. Subjects with
chronic post-traumatic stress disorder described their traumatic event
during a script preparation session and then received a one-day dose
of propranolol (n=9) or placebo (n=10), randomized and double-blind.
A week later, they engaged in script-driven mental imagery of their
traumatic event while heart rate, skin conductance, and left corrugator
electromyogram were measured. Physiologic responses were significantly
smaller in the subjects who had received post-reactivation propranolol
a week earlier. Propranolol given after reactivation of the memory of
a past traumatic event reduces physiologic responding during subsequent
mental imagery of the event in a similar manner to propranolol given
shortly after the occurrence of a traumatic event.
PMID:
17588604 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?tmpl=NoSidebarfile&db=PubMed&cmd=Retrieve&list_uids=17588604&dopt=Abstract
The
Influence of Organized Violence and Terror on the brain and Mind: A
Co-Constructive Perspective.
Thomas Elbert, Brigitte Rockstroh, Iris-Tatjana Kolassa, Maggie Schauer,
and Frank Neuner
Abstract:
The human brain is formed by two interactive systems the genetic-biological
and the sociocultural system. The brain, in turn, regulates behavior
and thereby acts on the societal environment. This chapter examines
who experience shapes the brain and describes the interaction of the
brain, behavior, and culture under condition of extreme and traumatic
stress as present in many of the world war-torn regions. ……..
direct link
Domestic
Violence in Australia Leads to Number of Suicides
Health News Posted on May 27, 2007
http://www.medindia.net/news/Domestic-Violence-in-Australia-Leads-to-Number-of-Suicides-21344-1.htm
Advanced countries?
No matter, domestic violence against women
continues to be a major scourge.
Burden of Disease and Injury in Australia, a comprehensive
report released Saturday, said nearly a third of female suicides in
the country could be attributed to domestic violence.
So
also 15 per cent of women suffering from depression were those who had
been subjected to violence at home.
The report further says that child sexual abuse causes 10 per cent of
the anxiety and depression in the entire population.
The International Society for the
Study of Trauma & Dissociation
Severe Early Trauma,
which examines research on the complex effects of childhood trauma,
and the implications for treatment.
http://www.cavalcadeproductions.com/childhood-trauma.html
The
ACE Study, which documents the high incidence of childhood
trauma and its costly effects on adult physical health, and the implications
for medical practice.
http://www.cavalcadeproductions.com/ace-study.html
Legal
Issues in Trauma Therapy, which describes the FMS backlash
against therapists in the 1990’s, and outlines
standards of care and strategies for prevention.
http://www.cavalcadeproductions.com/false-memory.html
Vicarious
Traumatization, which describes the effects of vicarious trauma,
or the stress experienced by caregivers, and how to deal with it personally
and organizationally.
http://www.cavalcadeproductions.com/vicarious-traumatization.html
Trauma
& Memory, which examines how dissociation functions as
a defense against overwhelming stress, and how such traumatic memories
may be stored.
http://www.cavalcadeproductions.com/bessel-van-der-kolk.html
The
Neurobiology of Social Bonds
Professor Keith M Kendrick
The Babraham Institute Cambridge http://neuroendo.org.uk/index.php/content/view/34/11/
When
released in the brain through giving birth or mating, the neuropeptides
oxytocin and vasopressin are involved in promoting parent-offspring
and monogamous bonds in animals such as sheep and voles. Bonds are only
formed in species where receptors for these neuropeptides are highly
expressed in dopamine-producing reward centres.
In humans, dysfunctions in these same systems can be associated with
autism and, when we see people we love,
these systems become activated. (A)
NEUROBIOLOGICAL SEQUELAE OF CHILDHOOD
TRAUMA:
Post-traumatic Stress Disorders in Children
Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D.
The ChildTrauma Academy
www.ChildTrauma.org
The
Vortex of Violence
How Children Adapt and Survive in a Violent World
Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D.
Pre-Final DRAFT
published: http://www.childtrauma.org/CTAMATERIALS/vortex_interd.asp
This booklet is one in a series developed by the ChildTrauma Academy
to assist parents, caregivers, teachers and various professionals working
with maltreated and traumatized children.
Adapted in part from: "Maltreated Children: Experience,
Brain Development and the Next Generation"
(W.W. Norton & Company, New York, in preparation)
Childhood
abuse hurts the brain
By William J. Cromie
Gazette Staff http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/2003/05.22/01-brain.html
Abuse during childhood can change the structure and function of a brain,
and increase the risk of everything from anxiety to suicide.
"These
changes are not limited to physical and sexual abuse; there's growing
evidence that even verbal assault can alter the way a developing brain
is wired," says Martin Teicher, associate professor of psychiatry
at Harvard Medical School. The ominous effects are tied to reduction
in the size of sensitive areas of the brain and to abnormal brain waves
that mimic epilepsy. (A)
Sexual
Abuse of Infants
A five-part question focusing on sexual abuse during infancy.
published: http://www.childtrauma.org/ctamaterials/infant_abuse.asp
Can infants recall sexual abuse later in life?
The key word in this question is "recall." Unfortunately,
for most, the concept of memory is limited to the storage and recall
of cognitive, narrative memory. In this conceptualization, a pre-verbal
infant would not be capable of "remembering" and "recalling"
any event. Furthermore, we are all familiar with the developmental amnesia
that occurs at approximately age three.
Science
News
Week of May 27, 2006; Vol. 169, No. 21 , p. 328
Violent
Developments Disruptive kids grow into their behavior
by Bruce Bower
"Violence
is such a complicated issue," Twemlow says. "There's always
a set of preconditions to violent behavior and never just one cause."
Meyer-Lindenberg, a neuroscientist, directed studies of 142 white adults
who had inherited one of two common versions of a gene that triggers
production of an enzyme called monoamine oxydase A (MAOA).
That enzyme controls the supply of an important brain chemical. One
of the gene variants yields weak MAOA activity in the brain, resulting
in elevated concentrations of serotonin. Too much of that chemical messenger
upsets the regulation of emotions and impulses.
related
articles
Verbal
Abuse In Childhood Triggers Adult Anxiety, Depression
A new
study by Florida State University researchers has found that people
who were verbally abused as children grow up to be self-critical adults
prone to depression and anxiety. People who were verbally abused had
1.6 times as many symptoms of depression and anxiety as those who had
not been verbally abused and were twice as likely to have suffered a
mood or anxiety disorder over their lifetime, according to psychology
Professor Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, the study's lead author.
Approach
to laws on offenders criticized
By JONATHAN ROOS AND LEE ROOD
REGISTER STAFF WRITERS
Studies
show that 80 percent or more of child sexual abuse victims are molested
by relatives, family friends or others known to the victims. But new
laws that restrict where sex offenders can live or require electronic
monitoring of their movements appear aimed at keeping strangers from
stalking victims around schoolyards or child-care centers. (A)
Physically
abused boys may be more likely to commit domestic violence as adults
A history of childhood physical abuse may be common in men from urban
settings, and these men with physical abuse histories may be more likely
to commit domestic violence. (A35)
http://www.xagena.it/news/medicinenews_net_news/56921b5830dc422b9e197e0df48c5b8c.html
Abuse
worst when unreported
By:Bob Berry, Crime prevention columnist
Sexual
abuse of a child or elderly person is probably the most secretive and
the hardest type of abuse to detect.
It most often occurs within a family setting with the suspect usually
being a parent, relative or caretaker. This type of abuse sometimes
can be sheltered for decades until something prompts the victim to reveal
his or her story.
In more cases than we would like to believe, someone else within or
close to the family is aware of the abuse. I would venture to guess
that we all know someone or know of someone's family who has been touched
by emotional, physical or sexual abuse. How do we stop the abuse? We
have to break the cycle. Children who are abused often grow up to be
parents who abuse their children.
(Archive A 34)
Read: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1574&dept_id=532215&newsid=15399587&PAG=461&rfi=9
Abuse
Victims Still Suffer Decades Later
ktla 5 - Los Angeles,CA,USA
... were very close." But by the time they were adults, they saw
... know that from the first moment they were abused as boys ... He
won't let anyone baby-sit his children. ...
http://ktla.trb.com/news/local/la-me-victims16oct16,0,1290041.story?coll=ktla-news-1
Great
information about childhood trauma is available by Dr. Michael Corry.
Sexual Abuse & Hatred of the Self
http://www.depressiondialogues.ie/custom12/His
resource page is vital to many Childhood abuse victims.
http://www.depressiondialogues.ie/custom19/
In
addition:
How Dr. Michael speaks on behalf of three patients, all victims of layers
of abuse, in particular sexual.
Michael Corry's letter to the Irish Times
19 May 2005
http://www.depressiondialogues.ie/custom42/
The
Invisible Epidemic: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Memory and the Brain
J. Douglas Bremner, M.D.
Dr. Bremner is a faculty member of the Departments of Diagnostic Radiology
and Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Psychiatric
Institute, and National Center for PTSD-VA Connecticut Healthcare System.
The research reviewed in this article was supported by an NIH-sponsored
General Clinical Research Center (GCRC)
Clinical Associate Physician (CAP) Award and a VA Research Career Development
Award to Dr. Bremner, and the National Center for PTSD Grant.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is something of an invisible epidemic.
The events underlying it are often mysterious and always unpleasant.
It is certainly far more widespread than most people realize. For example,
a prime cause of PTSD is childhood sexual abuse. About 16% of American
women (about 40 million) are sexually abused (including rape, attempted
rape, or other form of molestation) before they reach their 18th birthday.
Female Perpetrators More Common Than Known Previously; Boys Abused Almost
As Often As Girls
Wednesday July 6, 3:00 pm ET
Kaiser Permanente Research: Gender and Sexual Abuse
"Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) occurs on a worldwide basis and although
most studies on the long-term consequences
of CSA have focused on women, sexual abuse of both boys and girls is
prevalent," said Vincent J Felitti, MD, of the Kaiser Permanente,
San Diego Medical Center. "An interesting finding of the article
is that a significant number of boys were molested by women."
Infant
abuse not linked to genetics
Tue 28 Jun 2005 11:59 am CST
CHICAGO (myDNA News)
Reviewed: June 28, 2005 Rick Nauert PhD
Source: Medical News Today
Nine of the 16 females who were abused in infancy by their biological
or foster mothers were abusive toward their own offspring, while none
of the 15 females reared by non-abusive mothers were abusive toward
their offspring.
Arch.Sience2
Egg
and Sperm Memory:
Universal Body Movements in Cellular Consciousness and What They Mean
Terry Larimore, L.M.S.W., and Graham Farrant, M.D.
A Key to World Peace in Cellular Consciousness
Cellular consciousness is the complete memory that we each carry in
our bodies of our earliest experiences, including conception and the
separate experiences of being a sperm and an egg. Research in the field
of pre- and perinatal psychology is showing how these early times and
experiences influence us in ways that we have never be-fore been aware
of, much less understood. It is being shown more and more that we are
constantly (unconsciously) and profoundly affected by these experiences
in every aspect of our lives.
More
about Graham Farrant:
Interviewed by Arnold Buchheimer at Appel Farm, New Jersey Sunday, August
31, 1986
http://www.primal-page.com/farrant.htm
Childhood
abuse is associated with a host of neurobiological abnormalities
Martin H. Teicher, M.D., Ph.D. (Independent Investigator 2005) of McLean
Hospital/Harvard University Childhood abuse is associated with a host
of neurobiological abnormalities including: EEG changes, attenuated
maturation of the left hemisphere, as well as structural changes in
the corpus callosum, adult hippocampus, and cortex.
originaly published: http://www.narsad.org/research/summaries/teichermartin-2005ii.html
Cortisol
and social functioning interact to cause depression
Hypercortisolemia appears to be a predisposing factor for low levels
of social functioning, which in turn increases the risk of depression,
UK investigators reveal.
Steroid
metabolism altered in depressed patients
Altered steroid metabolism has been identified in patients with unipolar
recurrent major depression, which investigators say may be the cause
as well as a consequence of the disorder.
THE
SCANDAL OF SEXUAL MUTILATION (PDF)
PTSD
linked to fibromyalgia and MDD
Patients with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition of unknown etiology,
appear to be at increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),
but only if they have a lifetime history of major depressive disorder
(MDD), study findings indicate.
SCIENTIFIC
PROOF-ABUSED INFANTS CAN GROW UP TO BE ABUSIVE ADULTS
New evidence proving that children damaged at an early age can grow
up to be abusive adult
Proof-Abused Infants Can Be Abusive Adults
Questions
and Answers about Memories of Childhood Abuse Can a memory be forgotten
and then remembered?
Can a 'memory' be suggested and then remembered as true?
http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/mem.html
Treating
Adults Who Were Sexually Abused As Children: Central Principles
By John Briere, Ph.D.
http://www.ncptsd.org/publications/cq/v6/n2/briere.html
Many
articles by Dr. James W. Prescott , the infant and child advocate
Rock
A Bye Baby
A
Time Life Documentary (1970)
The Time Life documentary "Rock A Bye Baby" describes the
influence of different practices in infant treatment and child rearing
on emotional development, both in humans and in monkeys.
Brain
scan to beat the blues - Results show who should use drugs
published by: The Daily Telegraph Sidney Australia
IF
VIOLENCE IS LEARNED BEHAVIOR, WHO TEACHES IT?
Many people charge that images in the media, ineffective laws, or weak
law enforcement is responsible for violence in our society, but they
are unwilling to consider that their own behavior may foster aggression
and violence.
IS
IT ABUSIVE TO SPANK A CHILD?
Tension exists between the deeply ingrained value that spanking is appropriate
and necessary discipline for a child and the psychological knowledge
that, if violence is learned behavior, even spankings can teach children
that it is okay to use some kinds of violence, even with people they
love.
WHY
DON'T BATTERED WOMEN JUST TAKE THEIR CHILDREN AND LEAVE?
Many believe that violent abuse can be stopped by simply leaving the
home, but research indicates that leaving does not stop the abuse.
IS
IT POSSIBLE TO HAVE DELAYED MEMORIES OF BEING SEXUALLY ABUSED AS A CHILD?
Clinical reports suggest that sexual abuse victims may forget the abusive
experiences, then remember them later in their lives, but empirical
research findings cannot explain this phenomenon by anything we currently
know about memory.
HOW
MUCH DO EMOTIONS INFLUENCE WHAT PROFESSIONALS KNOW
AND DO ABOUT VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY?
Service providers and researchers who deal with family violence often
feel torn as they try to maintain professional
attitudes and responses at the same time that they feel outrage, disgust,
fear, and sadness because of their constant
exposure to personal stories of abuse.
IS ABUSE AN EXCUSE?
Generally people feel compassion for abuse victims, along with understanding
and forgiveness for some of their undesirable behaviors, but often those
attitudes conflict with the need to hold people personally accountable
for their behavior.
