Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Psychiatric Quarterly
Published in: Psychiatric Quarterly 2/2020

01-06-2020 | Child Abuse | Original Paper

Gender Differences in Child Abuse, Emotional Processing Difficulties, Alexithymia, Psychological Symptoms and Behavioural Problems among Chinese Adolescents

Authors: Man Cheung Chung, Zhuo Sheng Chen

Published in: Psychiatric Quarterly | Issue 2/2020

Login to get access

Abstract

Child abuse among adolescents in China has been documented and can lead to a whole range of psychological and behavioural problems. This study examined whether male and female adolescents would differ in level of child abuse, emotional processing difficulties, alexithymia, psychological symptoms and behavioural problems, and whether the pattern of association between these variables would vary depending on gender. Eight hundred adolescents were recruited from China and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Emotional Processing Scale, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, General Health Questionnaire, and Prediction Test of Problem Children. Male adolescents reported significantly higher levels of emotional and physical neglect, and external oriented thinking style than female adolescents. Females reported significantly more anxiety symptoms and problems with learning than males. For males, child abuse was associated with emotional processing difficulties which were associated with alexithymia. In turn, alexithymia was associated with both psychological and behavioural problems. For females, the same association was established for predicting behavioural problems but not psychological symptoms. Male and female adolescents differed in level of child abuse, alexithymia, psychological symptoms and behavioural problems. These psychological constructs were connected in a specific pattern to trigger psychological and behavioural problems for male adolescents whereas for females, different patterns were involved.
Literature
1.
Brown EJ. Correlates and treatment of stress disorder in children and adolescents. Psychiatr Ann. 2005;35(9):759–65.CrossRef
2.
Greger HK, Myhre AK, Lydersen S, Jozefiak T. Previous maltreatment and present mental health in a high-risk adolescent population. Child Abuse Negl. 2015;45:122–34.PubMedCrossRef
3.
Manoj J, Thomas J. Prevalence of maltreatment of adolescents among high school children. Merrick, Joav [Ed]; Tenenbaum, Ariel [Ed]; Omar, Hatim A [Ed] (2014) School, adolescence and health issues (pp 139-142) xi, 209 pp Hauppauge, NY, US: Nova Biomedical Books; US. 2014:139–142.
4.
Chen J, Dunne MP, Han P. Child sexual abuse in Henan province, China: associations with sadness, suicidality, and risk behaviors among adolescent girls. J Adolesc Health. 2006;38(5):544–9.PubMedCrossRef
5.
Priebe G, Hansson K, Svedin CG. Sexual abuse and associations with psychosocial aspects of health. A population-based study with Swedish adolescents. Nord J Psychiatry. 2010;64(1):40–8.PubMedCrossRef
6.
Westenberg EA, Garnefski N. Depressive symptomatology and child abuse in adolescents with behavioral problems. Child Adolesc Soc Work J. 2003;20(3):197–210.CrossRef
7.
Rasmussen CS, Nielsen LG, Petersen DJ, Christiansen E, Bilenberg N. Adverse life events as risk factors for behavioural and emotional problems in a 7-year follow-up of a population-based child cohort. Nord J Psychiatry. 2014;68(3):189–95.PubMedCrossRef
8.
Chung M, Chen Z. Child abuse and psychiatric co-morbidity among Chinese adolescents: emotional processing as mediator and PTSD from past trauma as moderator. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. 2017;48:610–8.PubMedCrossRef
9.
Arata C, Langhinrichsen-Rohling J, Bowers D, O'Brien N. Differential correlates of multi-type maltreatment among urban youth. Child Abuse Negl. 2007;31:393–415.PubMedCrossRef
10.
Arslan G. Psychological maltreatment, emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents: The mediating role of resilience and self-esteem. Child Abuse & Neglect. 2015: No Pagination Specified.
11.
Ford JD, Elhai JD, Connor DF, Frueh B. Poly-victimization and risk of posttraumatic, depressive, and substance use disorders and involvement in delinquency in a national sample of adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2010;46(6):545–52.PubMedCrossRef
12.
Garnefski N, Arends E. Sexual abuse and adolescent maladjustment: differences between male and female victims. J Adolesc. 1998;21(1):99–107.PubMedCrossRef
13.
Gore-Felton C, Koopman C, McGarvey E, Hernandez N, Canterbury R. Relationships of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse to emotional and behavioral problems among incarcerated adolescents. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, & Offenders. 2001;10(1):73–88.CrossRef
14.
Kim H-S, Kim H-S, Samuels-Dennis J. The influence of psychosomatic symptoms, physical and sexual abuse, and coping strategies on delinquent behavior among Korean adolescents. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 2012;26(2):155–64.PubMedCrossRef
15.
Li Y, Cao F-l, Cui N-x, Li Y-l. Child abuse and neglect, executive function, and emotional and behavioral problems in rural adolescents. Chin J Clin Psych. 2012;20(6):813–5.
16.
Moran PB, Davies MK, Toray T. Behavioral, emotional, and psychological outcomes among adolescents in a drug treatment program: a comparison of maltreated and non-maltreated youth. J Child Adolesc Subst Abuse. 1994;4(1):17–33.CrossRef
17.
Spinazzola J, Hodgdon H, Liang L-J, Ford JD, Layne CM, Pynoos R, et al. Unseen wounds: the contribution of psychological maltreatment to child and adolescent mental health and risk outcomes. Psychol Trauma Theory Res Pract Policy. 2014;6(Suppl 1):S18–28.CrossRef
18.
Thompson R, Proctor LJ, English DJ, Dubowitz H, Narasimhan S, Everson MD. Suicidal ideation in adolescence: examining the role of recent adverse experiences. J Adolesc. 2012;35(1):175–86.PubMedCrossRef
19.
Feng H, Liu JH, Wang Y, He G. Sociodemographic correlates of behavioral problems among rural Chinese school children. Public Health Nurs. 2011;28:297–307.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
20.
Marusak HA, Martin KR, Etkin A, Thomason ME. Childhood trauma exposure disrupts the automatic regulation of emotional processing. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015;40(5):1250–8.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
21.
McLaughlin KA, Peverill M, Gold AL, Alves S, Sheridan MA. Child maltreatment and neural systems underlying emotion regulation. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2015;54(9):753–62.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
22.
Owens M, Goodyer IM, Wilkinson P, Bhardwaj A, Abbott R, Croudace T et al. 5-HTTLPR and early childhood adversities moderate cognitive and emotional processing in adolescence. PLoS ONE Vol 7(11), Nov 2012, ArtID e48482. 2012;7(11).
23.
Bell KM, Naugle AE. The role of emotion recognition skills in adult sexual revictimization. The Journal of Behavior Analysis of Offender and Victim Treatment and Prevention. 2008;1(4):93–118.CrossRef
24.
Guenole F, Mallet J-F, Baleyte J-M. Alexithymia in severe idiopathic scoliosis: findings from a cross-sectional study of adolescents who have or have not had operations. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2012;200(3):274.PubMedCrossRef
25.
Scher D, Twaite JA. The relationship between child sexual abuse and alexithymic symptoms in a population of recovering adult substance abusers. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, & Offenders. 1999;8(2):25–40.CrossRef
26.
27.
Pennebaker JW. Emotion, disclosure & health. Washington DC: American Psychological Association; 1995.CrossRef
28.
Amstadter AB, Vernon LL. A preliminary examination of thought suppression, emotion regulation, and coping in a trauma-exposed sample. J Aggress Maltreat Trauma. 2008;17:279–95.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
29.
Gross JJ, John OP. Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2003;85:348–62.PubMedCrossRef
30.
Karukivi M, Hautala L, Kaleva O, Haapasalo-Pesu K-M, Liuksila P-R, Joukamaa M, et al. Alexithymia is associated with anxiety among adolescents. J Affect Disord. 2010;125(1–3):383–7.PubMedCrossRef
31.
van de Putte EM, Engelbert RH, Kuis W, Kimpen JL, Uiterwaal CS. Alexithymia in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome. J Psychosom Res. 2007;63(4):377–80.PubMedCrossRef
32.
Zonnevylle-Bender MJ, van Goozen SH, Cohen-Kettenis PT, van Elburg A, de Wildt M, Stevelmans E, et al. Emotional functioning in anorexia nervosa patients: adolescents compared to adults. Depress Anxiety. 2004;19(1):35–42.PubMedCrossRef
33.
Honkalampi K, Tolmunen T, Hintikka J, Rissanen M-L, Kylma J, Laukkanen E. The prevalence of alexithymia and its relationship with youth self-report problem scales among Finnish adolescents. Compr Psychiatry. 2009;50(3):263–8.PubMedCrossRef
34.
Manninen M, Therman S, Suvisaari J, Ebeling H, Moilanen I, Huttunen M, et al. Alexithymia is common among adolescents with severe disruptive behavior. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2011;199(7):506–9.PubMedCrossRef
35.
Gudmundsdottir B, Beck JG. Understanding the pattern of PTSD symptomatology: a comparison of between versus within-group approaches. Behav Res Ther. 2004;42:1367–75.PubMedCrossRef
36.
Kelley LP, Weathers FW, McDevitt-Murphy ME, Eakin DE, Flood AM. A comparison of PTSD symptom patterns in three types of civilian trauma. J Trauma Stress. 2009;22:227–35.PubMedCrossRef
37.
Runyon MK, Faust J, Orvaschel H. Differential symptom pattern of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in maltreated children with and without concurrent depression. Child Abuse Negl. 2002;26:39–53.PubMedCrossRef
38.
Garnefski N, Diekstra RF. Child sexual abuse and emotional and behavioral problems in adolescence: gender differences. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1997;36(3):323–9.PubMedCrossRef
39.
Jaycox LH, Ebener P, Damesek L, Becker K. Trauma exposure and retention in adolescent substance abuse treatment. J Trauma Stress. 2004;17(2):113–21.PubMedCrossRef
40.
Gearing RE, MacKenzie MJ, Schwalbe CS, Brewer KB, Ibrahim RW. Prevalence of mental health and behavioral problems among adolescents in institutional care in Jordan. Psychiatr Serv. 2013;64(2):196–200.PubMedCrossRef
41.
Hebert M, Lavoie F, Vitaro F, McDuff P, Tremblay RE. Association of child sexual abuse and dating victimization with mental health disorder in a sample of adolescent girls. J Trauma Stress. 2008;21(2):181–9.PubMedCrossRef
42.
Tick NT, van der Ende J, Verhulst FC. Ten-year trends in self-reported emotional and behavioral problems of Dutch adolescents. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2008;43(5):349–55.PubMedCrossRef
43.
Maikovich-Fong AK, Jaffee SR. Sex differences in childhood sexual abuse characteristics and victims' emotional and behavioral problems: findings from a national sample of youth. Child Abuse Negl. 2010;34(6):429–37.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
44.
Bernstein DP, Stein JA, Newcomb MD, Walker E, Pogge D, Ahluvalia T, et al. Development and validation of a brief screening version of the childhood trauma questionnaire. Child Abuse Negl. 2003;27:169–90.PubMedCrossRef
45.
Baker R, Thomas S, Thomas PW, Owens M. Development of an emotional processing scale. J Psychosom Res. 2007;26:167–78.CrossRef
46.
Bagby RM, Parker JDA, Taylor GJ. The twenty-item Toronto alexithymia scale-I: item selection and cross-validation of the factor structure. J Psychosom Res. 1994;38:23–32.PubMedCrossRef
47.
Goldberg D, Hillier V. A scaled version of the general health questionnaire. Psychol Med. 1979;9:139–45.PubMedCrossRef
48.
Goldberg D, Bridges KW. Screening for psychiatric illness in general practice: the general practitioner versus the screening questionnaire. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners. 1987;37:15–8.
49.
Zhou B, Zhen F. Prediction test of problem children manual. Shanghai: Press of East China Normal University; 1991.
50.
Hayes AF. Introduction to mediation, moderation and conditional process analysis: a regression-based approach. New York: The Guilford Press. 2013.
51.
Stoltenborgh M, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van Ijzendoorn MH. The neglect of child neglect: a meta-analytic review of the prevalence of neglect. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2013;48(3):345–55.PubMedCrossRef
52.
Levant RF, Hall RJ, Williams CM, Hasan NT. Gender differences in alexithymia. Psychol Men Masculinity. 2009;10:190–203.CrossRef
53.
Zhao X. Zhang R-z, Zheng K. gender differences in emotion regulation strategies in adolescents. Chin J Clin Psych. 2014;22(5):849–54.
54.
Breslau N, Chilcoat HD, Kessler RC, Peterson EL, Lucia VC. Vulnerability to assaultive violence: further speculation of the sex difference in post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychol Med. 1999;29:813–21.PubMedCrossRef
55.
Pimlott-Kubiak S, Cortina LM. Gender, victimization and outcomes: Reconceptualizing risk. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2003;71:528–39.PubMedCrossRef
56.
Plutchik R, Kellerman H, Conte HR. A structural theory of ego defenses and emotions. In: Izard CE, editor. Emotions in personality and psychopathology. New York: Plenum Press; 1979. p. 229–57.
57.
Valiant GE. Ego mechanisms of defense, a guide for clinicians and researches. Washington: American Psychiatric Press; 1992.
58.
Levant R. Toward the reconstruction of masculinity. J Fam Psychol. 1992;5:379–402.CrossRef
59.
Levant RF. Toward the reconstruction of masculinity. In: Levant RF, Pollack WS, editors. A new psychology of men. New York: Basic Books; 1995. p. 229–51.
60.
Levant RF. Desperately seeking language: understanding, assessing, and treating normative male alexithymia. In: Pollack WS, Levant RF, editors. New psychotherapy for men. New York: Wiley; 1998. p. 35–56.
61.
Geller PA, Nelson AR, Bonacquisti A. Women's health psychology. Nezu, Arthur M [Ed]; Nezu, Christine Maguth [Ed]; Geller, Pamela A [Ed]; Weiner, Irving B [Ed] (2013) Handbook of psychology, Vol 9: Health psychology (2nd ed ) (pp 477-511) xviii, 686 pp Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons Inc; US. 2013:477–511.
62.
Lengua LJ, Stormshak EA. Gender, gender roles and personality: Gender differences in the prediction of coping and psychological symptoms. Sex Roles. 2000;43:787–820. .
Metadata
Title
Gender Differences in Child Abuse, Emotional Processing Difficulties, Alexithymia, Psychological Symptoms and Behavioural Problems among Chinese Adolescents
Authors
Man Cheung Chung
Zhuo Sheng Chen
Publication date
01-06-2020
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Psychiatric Quarterly / Issue 2/2020
Print ISSN: 0033-2720
Electronic ISSN: 1573-6709
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11126-019-09700-w

Other articles of this Issue 2/2020

Psychiatric Quarterly 2/2020 Go to the issue

Original Paper

Patterns of Vitamin D Deficiency in a Community Outpatient Psychiatric Practice: a Real-World Evaluation of Treatment Gaps

Original Paper

Pilot Study of a Video-Based Educational Program to Reduce Family Violence for Parents of Adult Children with Schizophrenia

Original Paper

Time from the Admission as the Predictor of Aggressive Behavior of Inpatients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder

Original Paper

Profiling Absconders from Public and Private Inpatient Psychiatric Units: a Comparative Analysis

Review Article

Suicide during Transition of Care: a Review of Targeted Interventions

OriginalPaper

Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) of Behavioral Health (BH) Problems: Engagement Factors Predicting Subsequent Service Utilization