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Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are very common and presently implicated in 9 out of 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Despite this fact, our mechanistic understanding of how ACEs impact health is limited. Moreover, interventions for reducing stress presently use a one-size-fits-all approach that involves no treatment tailoring or precision. To address these issues, we developed a combined cross-sectional study and randomized controlled trial, called the California Stress, Trauma, and Resilience Study (CalSTARS), to (a) characterize how ACEs influence multisystem biological functioning in adults with all levels of ACE burden and current perceived stress, using multiomics and other complementary approaches, and (b) test the efficacy of our new California Precision Intervention for Stress and Resilience (PRECISE) in adults with elevated perceived stress levels who have experienced the full range of ACEs. The primary trial outcome is perceived stress, and the secondary outcomes span a variety of psychological, emotional, biological, and behavioral variables, as assessed using self-report measures, wearable technologies, and extensive biospecimens (i.e. DNA, saliva, blood, urine, & stool) that will be subjected to genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, lipidomic, immunomic, and metagenomic/microbiome analysis. In this protocol paper, we describe the scientific gaps motivating this study as well as the sample, study design, procedures, measures, and planned analyses. Ultimately, our goal is to leverage the power of cutting-edge tools from psychology, multiomics, precision medicine, and translational bioinformatics to identify social, molecular, and immunological processes that can be targeted to reduce stress-related disease risk and enhance biopsychosocial resilience in individuals and communities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) scale and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) are among the most widely used instruments for assessing childhood maltreatment, yet the convergent validity and concordance of their maltreatment subscales has only been examined in one previous non-U.S. study. This study represents the first replication and extension study to address the strengths and weaknesses of relying on the five-item ACEs maltreatment scale versus the 28-item CTQ. Participants were 77 low-income, ethnically-diverse women (M = 29.19, SD = 6.55, range = 18–44 years; 34% Latina, 24% White, 22% African-American, 20% biracial/multiracial/other; 18% Spanish-speaking) who completed the ACEs scale during pregnancy and the CTQ at three months post-partum. We hypothesized that total childhood maltreatment scores and maltreatment subtypes would be significantly associated, indicating concordance across instruments. We also conducted sensitivity and specificity analyses to determine the extent to which ACEs maltreatment subtypes correctly predicted corresponding CTQ subtypes and performed exploratory analyses on minimization/denial (MD) and inconsistent responding across instruments. Results supported generally good convergent validity of total childhood maltreatment and most subtype scores across instruments. Sexual abuse had the highest sensitivity and specificity, while physical neglect was most prone to underreporting on the ACEs scale. A small subset of women were characterized by high MD, reflecting tendencies to minimize their maltreatment histories across both instruments and also report significantly lower contemporaneous depression and PTSD symptoms than women with low MD. This study informs strengths and tradeoffs of two well-known instruments for assessing retrospectively-reported childhood maltreatment in low-income, vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the theoretical antecedents that contextualize parental insightfulness and examines this concept’s value in assessing parental functioning and in monitoring treatment progress with parents and young children who experience mental health and relationship problems. As a concept, parental insightfulness provides a much-needed bridge linking important aspects of attachment theory with their psychoanalytic origins, including early contributions that conceptualize parenting as a developmental process that furthers the unfolding capacities of the adult self. The paper examines the compatibility between the dimensions of parental insightfulness and the criteria for a healthy adult sense of self. The empirical body of knowledge generated by the concept of parental insightfulness is briefly reviewed as the basis for using the concept as a valuable tool for the empirical exploration of intrapsychic, interpersonal, and clinical processes in parents and their children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This discussion elaborates on Dr. Slade’s paper about the centrality of fear in the etiology of emotional problems and discusses the transmission from parent to child of unaddressed sources of parental fear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes recent developments in theory and clinical practice with traumatized children in the birth to five age range. It revisits the treatment of an abused two-year-old girl and her mother from the perspective of the child's reappearance in the clinic twenty years later to ask about her past. The early treatment of the child and the mother is re-examined from the perspective of the advances in theory and practice about early childhood trauma in the intervening decades. These advances are contrasted with the persistent gap between the urgent needs of maltreated children and their families and the availability of services designed to support their mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a great need to better understand the impact of traumatic events very early in life on the course of children's future development. This report focuses on the intriguing case of a girl who witnessed the murder of her mother by her father at the age of 19 months and seemed to have no recollection of this incident until the age of 11, when she began to exhibit severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to a traumatic reminder. The case presentation serves as the basis for a discussion regarding pertinent issues involved in early childhood trauma. This case and accompanying discussion were originally presented at the 19th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and were transcribed and revised for use in this article. Specific topics include early childhood memory and trauma, learning and the appraisal of danger, and PTSD and traumatic grief in early childhood. Clinical and public health implications are also discussed. This case illustrates the dramatic impact that "preverbal" traumatic memories can have on children's later functioning and speaks to the importance of assisting very young children in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the treatment of attachment disorder in infancy and early childhood based on reflections from clinical intervention with later-adopted foster care children. Lack of trust in the reliable availability and protectiveness of the attachment figure remaining a core problem for institutionalized children who are later adopted.

A model for the integration of infant mental health services with existing service delivery systems for high-risk infants and families is described. The Infant-Parent Program provides assessment and treatment for infants and families in situations of potential or actual child abuse, neglect, and disorders of attachment or socioemotional functioning. In addition, the program has established a collaborative network with pediatric care, child protective services, and community agencies serving infants and families at risk. The methods of assessment and treatment and the interface with other child services are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural sensitivity is particularly crucial in working with parents who may be dysfunctional and inappropriate in their child rearing practises. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As a result of the Department of Homeland Security’s zero-tolerance policy (ZTP), over 5,000 children were separated from their parents at the U.S. southern border from 2017-2021, with over 1,000 still lacking confirmed reunifications. Separations also occur daily due to immigration raids, chaotic processing, and changing immigration policies. This article addresses the most fundamental question faced by families enduring such separations; how to mend attachment bonds that have been suddenly severed, especially within a population likely already traumatized. The paper begins by updating readers about separation in the United States and offers a concise summary of the consequences of child-parent separation. The paper then introduces Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) as an intervention for affected families. This paper also uniquely applies CPP to older children and provides three case examples of its use in treating separated families. Finally, the paper offers general suggestions for supporting these families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]