Abstract
Although most research with youth exposed to violent manmade disasters has focused on internalizing problems, recent work suggests conduct problems (CPs) may also manifest in exposed youth. However, the extent to which youth postevent CPs present independently, versus co-present in conjunction with PTSD symptoms, remains unclear. The present study examined PTS and CP symptom profiles among affected Boston-area youth following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. This study used latent profile analysis to identify distinct PTS and CP symptom profiles among Boston-area youth ages 4–19 years (N = 344) affected by the Boston Marathon bombing events. PTS and CPs were measured using the UCLA-PTSD-RI and the SDQ parent reports, respectively. Analyses identified 3 distinct profiles: presentations characterized by (a) low PTS, low CPs, (b) moderate PTS, low CPs, and (c) high PTS, elevated CPs. The profile characterized by the highest PTS was the only profile with elevated CPs; hyperarousal and emotional numbing/avoidance symptoms showed the greatest distinguishing properties among profiles with and without elevated CP. Types of traumatic exposure experienced by youth were differentially associated with profiles. Specifically, direct (but not relational) exposure distinguished youth classified in the profile showing elevated CPs. Findings suggest interventions following violent manmade disasters may do well to incorporate CP modules when working with youth showing the greatest hyperarousal and emotional numbing, and/or who have directly witnessed the most violence.
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The authors declare no conflicts of interest, and certify that Boston University Charles River Campus Institutional Review Board approval was obtained prior to beginning the project wherein these data were obtained. All APA ethical standards were followed in the research protocol, including informed consent of all study participants.
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No authors have financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose, and the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Funding for this work was provided by the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD) Research Fund, the Barlow Research Fund, the Department of Psychology at Boston University, and NIH (K23 MH090247, K01 MH085710).
Author Contributions
K.I.C.: designed the present study (a secondary analysis using data from a larger study, as described in the Method section), conducted data analyses, and wrote the manuscript. D.C.: assisted with manuscript writing and preparation. S.C.: provided statistical consultation and assisted with conducting data analyses. J.G.G.: assisted with manuscript writing and preparation. J.S.C.: collaborated with design, analysis, and writing for the present study, as well as the larger study from which data for the present study were drawn.
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Crum, K.I., Cornacchio, D., Coxe, S. et al. A Latent Profile Analysis of Co-occurring Youth Posttraumatic Stress and Conduct Problems Following Community Trauma. J Child Fam Stud 27, 3638–3649 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1205-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1205-2