A recent study examined the path experienced by children who experience maltreatment and how personality functioning develops as they grow to heighten their risk for cannabis abuse and dependence in adolescence. The longitudinal study investigated the association between childhood maltreatment with individual personality differences and the extent to which cannabis use could be explained by both (Oshri, et al., 2011).

The researchers examined the situations of 415 children, of which 259 had a history of maltreatment according to records from Child Protective Services. 156 of the children had no maltreatment records. The two groups of children were comparable in terms of socio-demographic factors.

The maltreatment was designated by severity and type and the researchers followed up with the participants three times from age 7 to age 15. During the first interview, the researchers measured ego control (the tendency to express emotional impulses) and ego resiliency (the capacity to change ego control to fit a situational need).

When the participants were between 10 and 12 years old, the researchers conducted the second interview, in which they measured externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Two camp counselors also evaluated the children using the Teacher Report Form. During the third interview, the participants were asked about their current cannabis use and dependence using a diagnostic designed for children.

The results of the analysis showed that childhood maltreatment was associated with problem behaviors at the second session and cannabis abuse and dependence at the third session. However, the results of the study may be limited by the use of peer and observer reports, which may not be accurate in assessing internal experiences and might contain observer biases. The sample also focused on high-risk economically disadvantaged youth, which may produce results differently than children in a broader sample representing the general population.

The results of the study give insight to the actual paths of children who experience maltreatment and then develop a problem with cannabis abuse and dependence. The diminished ability to control emotional impulses and inflexible emotional coping strategies put children at a higher risk for developing a problem with substance abuse.

The results of the study may prove to be very helpful in developing prevention programs to help children avoid initiation of cannabis use. In addition, the analysis may help in targeting children with a history of maltreatment for focused prevention efforts to reduce this population’s susceptibility to a cannabis addiction.

Some teens express that certain types of therapy did not work for them. Whether it is because they have a hard time trusting, letting down their guard, or are just not ready to face their demons, traditional therapy is not for everyone. Horses can be a very calming force. They are very in-tune to what’s going on and can often sense human emotion. One girl involved with equine therapy says that working with horses helped her see emotions that she didn’t even know she had been carrying around with her.

Many of the horses used in equine based therapy are rescue horses, meaning that they may have been abused themselves. It becomes easier then, for youngsters to open up and express their feelings when they perceive that someone or something understands them. They can empathize and relate to the abuse that the horses have endured.

Working with horses can teach a lot of valuable lessons that translate well into the real world as well. You have to be respectful and resourceful when it comes to controlling an animal as big as a horse. Dealing with horses helps kids manage anger problems, low self-confidence and lack of trust in a different way. They have to learn to overcome these issues in order to make the horse feel comfortable with them.

In addition, a lot of young teens have power struggles with their parents. A power struggle with a horse is not going to end in the teen’s favor. Therefore, they must develop the skills necessary to deal with these matters in a constructive way. To get what they want from the horse, they may have to take a different approach, a lesson which can help improve communications at home, as well.

Horses are also used in corporate settings. Companies wishing to hold teambuilding or leadership workshops may use the animals to help illustrate examples of these important principles. Because horses have traditionally been part of a herd, the way they relate to one another socially can be referenced when trying to understand human behavior in group settings.

The use of equine-assisted therapy has and continues to be a success on many levels. As such, it remains a viable source to help troubled adolescents deal with the struggles of life in a healthy way.

A Science Daily release examined the findings of a new national study that has confirmed the affects disasters can have on children. According to this research, children who are exposed to disasters – fires, earthquakes, flooding – are more likely to experience emotional problems. Even worse, some children may have already been experiencing abuse, peer violence or maltreatment that could exacerbate such issues.

This study found that children who had already been victims of abuse or violence before the disaster struck were more likely to experience more anxiety, depression and aggression than children who only suffered as a result of the disaster. An interesting twist on such scenarios is that when a disaster happens, there are increased opportunities for community organizations and first-responders to interact with these children who may never have had access to help.

The study was completed by a research team at the University of New Hampshire and included an evaluation of data from a sample of 2,030 children. The data included phone interviews with children and parents. Of those children interviewed, 4.1 percent had experienced a disaster in the past year and 13.9 percent had been exposed to a variety of disasters over a lifetime.

The sample produced 70 children who had experienced victimization in the past year, yet only two of those children received counseling for problems related to emotional and behavioral issues. Without proper treatment, these children may seek their own treatment through drugs and alcohol.
 

Dr. Caroline Kabiru and researchers from Kenya’s African Population and Health Research Center, found that nine percent of the adolescents said they had been drunk in the last year. Most of those who reported drunkenness lived in a household with little food, lived with someone who had an alcohol-use disorder, had been physically abused, or had been coerced into having sex.

Previously, there had been little research into what prompts adolescents to drink alcohol in sub-Saharan Africa. Other studies from around the world have drawn similar conclusions between childhood neglect and abuse and future alcohol consumption.

Dr. Kabiru said that their study supports the idea that children who have had traumatic experiences should be treated early, as it could help prevent alcohol abuse later in life.

Sources: BioMed Central, Graeme Baldwin, Difficult Childhoods Lead to to Teenage Drinking, July 6, 2010

To gather data, scientists at Harvard University relied on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activity as participants engaged in a game that involved cues. These cues predicted monetary rewards and penalties.

“We found that, in comparison to community controls, young adults who had experienced childhood adversity showed weaker responses to reward-predicting cues in left hemisphere regions of the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that is important for orchestrating goal-directed actions,” said Diego Pizzagalli in the Science Daily. Pizzagalli is the John and Ruth Hazel Associate Professor of the Social Sciences in the Department of Psychology at Harvard.

During the study, the group of individuals who had experienced childhood adversity had two structures in the left basal ganglia that were nonresponsive to reward cues. This differed from what researchers saw in the control group. At the same time, there was no difference between the groups when penalties or no incentives were predicted.

In contrast to previous studies that suggest the link between childhood adversity and depression might be related to dysfunction in brain regions that are involved in regulating stress, this study points to another potential link. By weakening the brain’s response to rewards, childhood adversity may contribute to other elements of depression, such as apathy, low motivation, and a reduced ability to experience pleasure.

Such research has been undertaken in an effort to identify specific regions of the brain that impact certain types of psychological disorders. According to Pizzagalli, while childhood adversity can increase the risk for depression, it is not a one-to-one relationship. Genetics and social support can also counteract the risk.