Citation

Sanders J, Hershberger AR, Kolp HM, Um M, Aalsma MC, Cyders MA. Child Maltreat. 2018; 23(3): 226-233.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077559517745154

PMID

29232969

Abstract

Juvenile justice-involved youth face disproportionate rates of sexual abuse, which increases the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUDs), both of which are associated with poor long-term outcomes. The present study tested two mediation and moderation models, controlling for age, race, and history of physical abuse, with gender as a moderator, to determine whether PTSD symptoms serve as a risk factor and/or mechanism in the relationship between sexual abuse and substance use. Data were examined for 197 juvenile justice-involved youth (mean age = 15.45, 68.9% non-White, 78.4% male) that completed court-ordered psychological assessments.

RESULTS indicated that PTSD symptoms significantly mediated the relationship between sexual abuse and drug (β = 3.44, confidence interval [CI] [0.26, 7.41]; test for indirect effect z = 2.41, p =.02) and alcohol use (β = 1.42, CI [0.20, 3.46]; test for indirect effect z = 2.23, p =.03). PTSD symptoms and gender were not significant moderators. Overall, PTSD symptoms mediate the relationship between sexual abuse and SUDs in juvenile justice-involved youth, which suggests viability of targeting PTSD symptoms as a modifiable risk factor to reduce the effects of sexual abuse on substance use in this high-risk population.

Language: en

Keywords

PTSD; juvenile justice; sexual abuse; substance use; youth