How Is Access to Peer Support Amongst Traumatized Adolescents Associated with Behaviors? A National Study of Child Welfare Involved Youth

Trauma has been increasingly documented as highly prevalent in adolescence and oftentimes stemming from earlier experiences of stressors (Lupien, McEwen, Gunnar, & Heim, 2009).  Pervasive trauma at crucial developmental... [ view full abstract ]

Trauma has been increasingly documented as highly prevalent in adolescence and oftentimes stemming from earlier experiences of stressors (Lupien, McEwen, Gunnar, & Heim, 2009).  Pervasive trauma at crucial developmental stages, such as childhood and adolescence is related to neurobiological setbacks that have long-term deleterious outcomes. Focusing on child welfare involved children, this study presents an assessment of children’s perceptions of access to friends when in need (e.g. peer support) as a moderator of the relationship between traumatic experiences (e.g. clinically significant and not clinically significant) and problematic behaviors.  Relying on a subsample of 1,652 participants over eight years old from Wave II of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II).  The dependent variable is a standardized measure of behavior scores (CBCL) (Achenbach, 1991).  The predictor variable relies on the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, a measure of trauma based on indicators of PTSD.  The moderator variable measures access to friends.  Binary logistic regressions were conducted using trauma scores to predict whether children scored above or below the cutoff indicating problematic behaviors. Interaction terms were non-clinical or clinical levels of trauma with each response category (‘never/hardly ever,’ ‘sometimes,’ and ‘most of the time/all of the time’) of how often children felt they had access to friends when in need. Results indicate children reported having access to friends when in need most of the time (75%), significant differences exist in the probabilities of problematic behavior scores between those who have experienced considerable trauma and those who haven’t according to how often they access friends when in need.  Comparisons between the two levels of traumatic experiences indicate a significantly negative influence of access to friends across the continuum (e.g. never to all of the time), with the most access to friends indicating the largest margin between probabilities of problematic behaviors.