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The impacts of violence for young children and their caregivers are multidimensional. The story of 2-year-old Tyronne, his mother, Josephine, and his father, James, illustrates the use of a relationship-focused treatment, child-parent psychotherapy (CPP), in addressing the traumatic consequences of exposure to violence. This family's story exemplifies the complexity of domestic violence by unraveling the source of intergenerational transmission of attachment patterns and unresolved psychological conflict that become internalized, impacting sense of self, safety, and emotional well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), an evidence-based dyadic therapeutic intervention for very young children exposed to trauma, is becoming the go-to therapeutic intervention for infant mental health practitioners. Although CPP has been shown to be effective for rebuilding the parent-child relationship, reducing trauma symptoms, and reducing depression in mothers, there are some challenges to training and disseminating the model. The authors present two training methods that have been anecdotally effective in training clinicians in the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National experts discuss culturally competent domestic violence health care responses and children who witness domestic violence. Comments address culturally competent systems, research, and clinical responses in Native American, Latina immigrant, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and effects on and responses to children who witness domestic violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

The social dominance behavior of dyads of unacquainted, same-sex 3½- year-olds was observed in a familiar laboratory playroom under two conditions: A free play situation and a situation where candy was introduced. In each of the two conditions, a principal components analysis was used to explore two issues: the usefulness of the multivariate approach in devising a definition of dominance, and the cross-situational stability of the construct. In the free play session, the first principal component that emerged was consistent with a theoretical definition of dominance. This picture was disrupted by the introduction of candy in the second condition. However, a high correlation was found between the dominance hierarchies established in each situation. It was concluded that the multivariate analysis is a useful method for the study of dominance. The generalizability of social dominance across settings was discussed as a possible explanation for the high cross-situational stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, research and practice on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have shifted from delineating effects of ACEs on adulthood health problems to preventing ACEs in children. Nonetheless, little attention has focused on how parents' own childhood experiences, adverse or positive, may influence the transmission of ACEs across generations. Children's risk for ACEs and potential for resilience may be linked to the early child-rearing experiences of their parents carried forward into parenting practices. Additionally, parents with multiple ACEs may have PTSD symptoms, an under-recognized mediator of risk in the intergenerational transmission of ACEs. Guided by developmental psychopathology and attachment theory with an emphasis on risk and resilience, we argue that a more comprehensive understanding of parents' childhood experiences is needed to inform prevention of ACEs in their children. Part I of this review applies risk and resilience concepts to pathways of intergenerational ACEs, highlighting parental PTSD symptoms as a key mediator, and promotive or protective processes that buffer children against intergenerational risk. Part II examines empirical findings indicating that parents' positive childhood experiences counteract intergenerational ACEs. Part III recommends clinically-sensitive screening of ACEs and positive childhood experiences in parents and children. Part IV addresses tertiary prevention strategies that mitigate intergenerational ACEs and promote positive parent-child relationships. • Risk for intergenerational ACEs often stems from parents' childhood experiences. • Primary prevention of ACEs in children must consider parents' history of ACEs. • Parents' PTSD symptoms may mediate their ACEs and ACEs in their children. • Parents' positive childhood experiences are also transmitted across generations. • Parent and child ACEs screening should also include positive childhood experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Early-life adversity increases the risk of health problems. Interventions supporting protective and responsive caregiving offer a promising approach to attenuating adversity-induced changes in stress-sensitive biomarkers. This study tested whether participation in an evidence-based dyadic psychosocial intervention, child-parent psychotherapy (CPP), was related to lower epigenetic age acceleration, a trauma-sensitive biomarker of accelerated biological aging that is associated with later health impairment, in a sample of children with trauma histories. Within this quasi-experimental, repeated-measures study, we examined epigenetic age acceleration at baseline and postintervention in a low-income sample of children receiving CPP treatment (n = 45; age range = 2-6 years; 76% Latino) compared with a weighted, propensity-matched community-comparison sample (n = 110; age range = 3-6 years; 40% Latino). Baseline epigenetic age acceleration was equivalent across groups. However, posttreatment, epigenetic age acceleration in the treatment group was lower than in the matched community sample. Findings highlight the potential for a dyadic psychosocial intervention to ameliorate accelerated biological aging in trauma-exposed children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a symposium on mentoring in infant mental health that took place at the 18th World Association for Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) conference. The symposium commemorated Robert N. Emde who was one of the founders of the field of Infant Mental Health, and devoted much of his career to mentorship. From an IMH perspective, mentoring experiences are best thought of as relationships, significant for both mentor and mentee, with positive mentoring experiences crucial for the development of IMH clinicians and researchers. The symposium participants, two pairs of mentor‐mentee dyads, first gave an opening statement about what mentoring meant for them generally and personally, and then addressed three issues: the goodness of fit between mentor and mentee, "light and shadow" in mentoring relationships, and balancing old wisdom with new trends in mentoring. The paper brings the participants' views and personal experiences regarding these issues in their own words, highlighting key personal and professional issues related to mentorship from the perspectives of both mentor and mentee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregivers' ability to identify infant cues plays a crucial role in child development, enabling attuned and responsive caregiving that serves as the basis for secure attachment. At the same time, exposure to interpersonal violence (IPV) could alter mothers' interpretations of social stimuli and interfere with normative parent-child interactional processes. The current study examined four interrelated hypotheses. The first two hypotheses test whether IPV-exposed mothers show bias toward fear or anger in interpreting infants' facial expressions, and whether this bias is related to child symptoms. Our second set of hypotheses examines whether bias can be changed by Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and whether this change mediates treatment gains. 113 IPV-exposed mothers of 2 to 6 year old children completed the I FEEL picture task at baseline and again twelve months later. In the interim, 33 mothers were randomized into a treatment comparison group and the remainder received CPP. Analyses revealed that IPV-exposed mothers exhibit a perceptual bias toward fear, but not anger. Bias toward fear was linked to greater child internalizing symptoms while bias toward anger was linked to greater child externalizing symptoms. Participation in CPP resulted in decreased bias toward fearful faces. The treatment-related changes in mothers' perceptions of children's facial expression did not emerge as the mechanism by which CPP reduces children's symptoms. These results suggest that exposure to IPV alters mothers' ability to interpret infant facial expressions and that CPP is effective in reducing such biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trauma exposure is strongly linked to maternal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms during the perinatal period; however, childhood trauma exposure is often assessed without accounting for adult exposure. This study tested the unique impacts of childhood and adulthood trauma exposure on PTSD and depressive symptoms among pregnant women (N = 107, 82.9% Latina) enrolled in a nonrandomized intervention study. Regression analyses at baseline showed positive associations between trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms irrespective of trauma timing, childhood: B = 1.62, t(91) = 2.11, p =.038; adulthood: B = 2.92, t(91) = 3.04, p =.003. However only adulthood trauma exposure, B = 1.28, t(94) = 2.94, p =.004, was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Mixed‐effects analyses of variance revealed interaction effects of time and adulthood trauma exposure, indicating that women with high degrees of adulthood trauma exposure had higher baseline levels of PTSD, F(1, 76.4) = 6.45, p =.013, and depressive symptoms, F(1, 87.2) = 4.88, p =.030, but showed a more precipitous decrease posttreatment than women with lower levels of adulthood trauma exposure. These findings support the clinical relevance of assessing both childhood and adulthood trauma exposure during the perinatal period given their impacts on baseline symptoms and psychotherapy response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is often considered an adult problem despite profound consequences for the children who are exposed toviolent relational patterns. About a third of children and adolescents report past exposure to parental IPV, and a majority were first exposed as infants. Exposure to IPV during pregnancy through the first 5 years of a child's life has consequences ranging from adverse birth outcomes to diagnosable emotional problems and lasting physiological dysregulation. This article reviews risks and consequences of IPV in pregnancy and early childhood and discusses a relational psychotherapeutic treatment approach (Child–Parent Psychotherapy) applied to both developmental stages to mitigate the adverse consequences of family violence on parents and their children. Research evidence for the effectiveness of Child–Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) among IPV‐exposed families is reviewed as are specific treatment components which seek to restore relational safety following familial violence. Additionally, clinical considerations unique to families with histories of or ongoing exposure to IPV are discussed. Finally, recommendations are presented to improve the integration between medical and early childhood behavioral health systems for families at highest risk for chronic IPV. Key points for the family court community: Infants and children exposed to IPV are at elevated risk for later socioemotional difficulties, physiological dysregulation and child welfare involvement.IPV threatens relational safety; dyadic, relationship‐based psychotherapies are well suited to repair ruptures in family relationships caused by violence restore psychological health.Child Parent Psychotherapy and its perinatal application are interventions that can improve to child and parental psychopathology, parenting beliefs and attachment security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 Guild et al. ([9]) study makes a significant addition to the literature documenting the long-term beneficial impact of Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) on child and maternal outcomes in dyads at risk for or manifesting mental health problems. Together, these findings indicate that treatment effects for CPP are sustained years after the completion of treatment. In this study, the CPP intervention group showed significant decreases in maternal posttraumatic stress symptoms (specifically avoidance symptoms) and global psychiatric distress (Lieberman et al, [11]) that were sustained at 6-month follow-up (Lieberman et al., [12]). Lack of CPP-specific treatment effects might have been due to the outside treatment received by both groups, as well as to the relatively restricted range of depression scores. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents an obituary for Bernard Levy, founder and board member of the child-care nonprofit Zero to Three.

Childhood maltreatment is associated with disruptions in narrative coherence about close relationships. The current pilot study introduced a brief new measure of narrative coherence about romantic partners, and tested whether post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and narrative coherence about romantic partners during pregnancy. Participants were 101 low-income, ethnically diverse pregnant women (62% living below the poverty line; 37% Latina, 22% Black, 20% White, 22% other), with high rates of childhood maltreatment. They completed the Five-Minute Speech Sample about their romantic partner (i.e., the baby's father) during pregnancy, which independent pairs of raters coded for prenatal narrative coherence and prenatal expressed emotion (including negative and warm affect) about partners. Participants also completed standardized self-report instruments assessing childhood maltreatment, romantic partner support, and prenatal PTSD and depression symptoms. Narrative coherence about partners from the Five-Minute Speech Sample showed convergent validity with romantic partner support and expressed emotion about partners. PTSD symptoms (but not depression symptoms) mediated the link between childhood maltreatment and prenatal narrative coherence about partners. The Five-Minute Speech Sample offers a brief and valid strategy to assess NC about romantic partners. PTSD symptoms and narrative coherence about partners are both potential intervention targets to promote healthy psychological and relational functioning during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) is an evidence-based treatment for children age 0-5 who have experienced at least one traumatic event and/or are experiencing mental health, attachment, and/or behavioral problems. Harley, Williams, Zamora, & Lakatos (2014) use a case study approach to examine the utility of CPP for working with children with developmental disabilities. They share specific ways in which the model can be tailored for this population. In this commentary, we reflect on their work with James, a 14-month old Latino boy with global delays related to a stroke he suffered after surgery for a congenital heart defect, and Juan, a 6 year, 2 month old boy diagnosed as autistic who has also experienced multiple traumas. We highlight interventions that address core CPP goals and discuss the need to address four key topic areas when conducting CPP with children with disabilities: 1) the importance of addressing risks that present within the caregiver-child relationship, including caregivers' unresolved grief; 2) the potential for the caregiver or child's history of trauma to contribute to challenges in the child and caregiver's functioning; 3) the importance of working as part of an interdisciplinary team to coordinate care and better address the complex needs of families; and 4) the importance of applying a socio-cultural lens in every aspect of the work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We assayed basal maternal M1/M2-like monocyte RNA expression, CRP, and IL-1ß. • Heightened inflammation was associated with poorer dyadic response to psychotherapy. • An M1/M2 phenotype, but not CRP, predicted poorer maternal symptom improvement. • Higher maternal IL-1ß predicted lesser child transdiagnostic symptom improvement. Inflammatory pathways predict antidepressant treatment non-response among individuals with major depression; yet, this phenomenon may have broader transdiagnostic and transtherapeutic relevance. Among trauma-exposed mothers (M age = 32 years) and their young children (M age = 4 years), we tested whether genomic and proteomic biomarkers of pro-inflammatory imbalance prospectively predicted treatment response (PTSD and depression) to an empirically-supported behavioral treatment. Forty-three mother–child dyads without chronic disease completed Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) for roughly 9 months. Maternal blood was drawn pre-treatment, CD14 + monocytes isolated, gene expression derived from RNA sequencing (n = 34; Illumina HiSeq 4000; TruSeq cDNA library), and serum assayed (n = 43) for C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). Symptoms of PTSD and depression decreased significantly from pre- to post-treatment for both mothers and children (all p's < 0.01). Nonetheless, a higher pre-treatment maternal pro-inflammatory imbalance of M1-like versus M2-like macrophage-associated RNA expression (M1/M2) (ß = 0.476, p =.004) and IL-1ß (ß =0.333, p =.029), but not CRP, predicted lesser improvements in maternal PTSD symptoms, unadjusted and adjusting for maternal age, BMI, ethnicity, antidepressant use, income, education, and US birth. Only higher pre-treatment M1/M2 predicted a clinically-relevant threshold of PTSD non-response among mothers (OR = 3.364, p =.015; ROC-AUC = 0.78). Additionally, higher M1/M2 predicted lesser decline in maternal depressive symptoms (ß = 0.556, p =.001), though not independent of PTSD symptoms. For child outcomes, higher maternal IL-1ß significantly predicted poorer PTSD and depression symptom trajectories (ß's = 0.318-0.429, p 's < 0.01), while M1/M2 and CRP were marginally associated with poorer PTSD symptom improvement (ß's = 0.295–0.333, p 's < 0.056). Pre-treatment pro-inflammatory imbalance prospectively predicts poorer transdiagnostic symptom response to an empirically-supported behavioral treatment for trauma-exposed women and their young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study examined maternal pregnancy wantedness and perceptions of paternal wantedness, and their associations with maternal perinatal mental health symptoms and relationship dynamics. Methods: Low-income, ethnically-diverse pregnant women (N = 101, Mage = 29.10 years, SDage = 6.56, rangeage = 18–44; 37% Latina, 22% African-American, 20% White, 21% biracial/multiracial/other) completed semi-structured interviews of pregnancy wantedness coded by trained raters, and standardized instruments of depression and PTSD symptoms during pregnancy and at 3–4-months postpartum. Results: While maternal pregnancy wantedness (rated from 0-Predominately Ambivalent, 1-Mixed, and 2-Predominately Positive) showed no significant associations, a couple-level scale that combined maternal wantedness and her perceptions of paternal wantedness (Equally Positive Wantedness, Mom Wants More, Dad Wants More and Equally Ambivalent) showed several significant associations. Compared to women in the Equally Positive group, women in the Mom Wants More group had significantly higher prenatal and postnatal depression symptoms, prenatal PTSD symptoms, and prenatal and postnatal relationship conflict; and lower prenatal and postnatal relationship support. Women in the Mom Wants More group also had significantly higher prenatal and postnatal depression symptoms and prenatal conflict; and lower prenatal support than women in the Dad Wants More group. Conclusions for Practice: Women who perceive themselves as wanting the pregnancy more than their baby's father are at higher risk for mental health and relationship problems than women who perceive themselves and their partners as equally ambivalent. Providers should ask women about their perceptions of partners' pregnancy wantedness to inform delivery of targeted mental health and relationship-based intervention during pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The present study examined associations between trauma exposure, trauma-related symptomatology, and preschool-age children's executive function in an ethnically-diverse community sample. • Analyses included considerations of multiple levels of family functioning, including both caregiver and child symptomatology. • To examine associations between early adversity exposure and executive functions, the present study utilized an integrated measure of cognitive flexibility, working memory, and inhibitory control. • Neither trauma exposure nor trauma-related symptoms were significantly associated with children's executive function, suggesting a nuanced relation between adversity and self-regulation in early childhood. The present study used a bioecological framework to examine associations between trauma exposure, trauma-related symptomatology, and executive function (EF) in an urban sample of 88 predominantly ethnic-minority, low-income preschoolers (age 2–5) exposed to interpersonal trauma. Contrary to hypotheses based on past literature documenting associations between trauma exposure and EF deficits in childhood, in regressions adjusting for child gender, family income, and caregiver education, neither trauma exposure or trauma-related symptoms (post-traumatic stress symptoms, internalizing behaviors, or externalizing behaviors) were significantly associated with children's EF performance. Associations between child trauma exposure, symptomatology, and executive function were not moderated by parental PTSD symptomatology; and EF was not differentially predicted by type of trauma. Results suggest that, within an ethnically-diverse sample of preschool-aged children exposed to multiple traumas, associations between trauma exposure, symptomatology, and EF may be particularly nuanced. Keywords: child trauma, posttraumatic stress, executive function, preschool-age children, child mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study examined the psychometric properties of the Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) scale, a new instrument designed to assess positive early life experiences in adults with histories of childhood maltreatment and other adversities. A counterpart to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) questionnaire, the BCEs was developed to be multiculturally-sensitive and applicable regardless of socioeconomic position, urban-rural background, or immigration status. Higher levels of BCEs were hypothesized to predict lower levels of psychopathology and stress beyond the effects of ACES in a sample of ethnically diverse, low-income pregnant women. BCEs were also expected to show adequate internal validity across racial/ethnic groups and test-retest stability from the prenatal to the postnatal period. Participants were 101 pregnant women ( M = 29.10 years, SD = 6.56, range = 18–44; 37% Latina, 22% African-American, 20% White, 21% biracial/multiracial/other; 37% foreign-born, 26% Spanish-speaking) who completed the BCEs and ACEs scales; assessments of prenatal depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, perceived stress, and exposure to stressful life events (SLEs) during pregnancy; and demographic information. Higher levels of BCEs predicted less PTSD symptoms and SLEs, above and beyond ACEs. The BCEs showed excellent test-retest reliability, and mean levels were comparable across racial/ethnic and Spanish-English groups of women. Person-oriented analyses also showed that higher levels of BCEs offset the effects of ACEs on prenatal stress and psychopathology. The BCEs scale indexes promising promotive factors associated with lower trauma-related symptomatology and stress exposure during pregnancy and illuminates how favorable childhood experiences may counteract long-term effects of childhood adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was added to the DSM-5, but little is known about this symptom pattern in young children exposed to trauma. Tailoring treatment to traumatized young children requires understanding the different patterns of trauma-related symptomatology and important correlates. The current study tested the hypothesis that type and number of child traumatic events, caregiver trauma exposure, and caregiver symptomatology would predict whether traumatized young children presented with PTSD, PTSD with clinical dissociation, or non-clinical trauma symptoms.Methods: A multinomial regression was conducted using data collected from an ethnically and economically diverse sample of 297 trauma-exposed children between the ages of 3 and 6 and their caregivers. Based on parent-report on a well-validated measure of trauma symptoms, children were categorized into three groups: non-clinical (n = 128), PTSD only (n = 104), or PTSD with dissociation (PTSD-DISS; n = 65). Predictors included trauma exposure, parent trauma symptoms, and child sex.Results: Girls were twice more likely than boys to be in the PTSD-DISS group; sexually abused children were almost three times as likely to be in the PTSD-DISS group; and, for every unit increase in parent avoidance symptoms or number of traumatic events, the odds of being in the PTSD-DISS group increased significantly.Limitations: Given the cross-sectional study design, conclusions cannot be drawn regarding causality. Measures were completed by a single reporter.Conclusions: Findings suggest that subgroups of children may be especially vulnerable to comorbid PTSD and dissociation. Implications for treatment are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical psychology training for research-oriented scientist-practitioners tends to have a gap in research training during the predoctoral internship year. In 1982, the Clinical Psychology Training Program (CPTP) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) began a 2-year clinical and clinical research training program combining an American Psychology Association (APA)-accredited internship and a postdoctoral fellowship. The goal of the program is to prepare graduates for leadership roles as principal investigators who are licensed clinicians able to function as independent practitioners. This article conveys the philosophy behind the program, its structure, and the results of the program over the last 31 years. The CPTP accepted 142 trainees, of whom 46 (32%) were minorities and 78 (55%) were women. CPTP fellows have published over 250 articles, chapters, and books with their mentors and have contributed to submitting research grants with them. The vast majority continued research and academic activities after graduation. The most recent self-study for APA accreditation reported that of 43 trainees admitted in the 10 years between 1999 and 2008, 41 (95%) went on to academic positions, research, or clinical positions in academic settings or research positions in other settings; 1 obtained a clinical position; and 1 provided no information. The program serves as a model for clinical psychology nationally, allowing for uninterrupted clinical research training during the internship and postdoctoral years, nurturing clinical psychologists committed to clinical research careers, and contributing substantially to the clinical research productivity of the host department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Executive function was examined in young children exposed to traumatic events. • Children' trauma symptomatology was associated with their behavior problems. • Children and caregivers'executive function was positively associated. • Children's executive function was associated with higher IQ and vocabulary. Children's executive function (EF) may be negatively affected by their exposure to traumatic events. However, few investigations have examined the relations between EF and the associated developmental outcomes of young children exposed to trauma. Likewise, although growing evidence highlights intergenerational associations between caregiver and child EF, these associations remain unexplored among preschool-aged children exposed to trauma. The current study used a multimethod approach to test the direct and indirect associations of children's trauma symptomatology, caregiver and child EF, and children's concurrent behavioral and cognitive functioning in a sample of trauma-exposed, preschool-aged children (N = 109; M age = 52.11 months, SD = 12.19) and their caregivers. Results indicated positive associations between children's trauma symptomatology and their behavior problems, positive associations between caregiver and child performance on tasks of EF, and positive associations between children's EF and a latent factor of cognitive functioning indicated by children's performance on standardized tests of IQ and receptive vocabulary. However, the hypothesized indirect effects of caregiver and child EF were not supported. Implications for clinical interventions with young children and families exposed to trauma are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Type not timing of childhood experiences typically predicted pregnancy outcomes. • Higher levels of childhood maltreatment predicted more prenatal PTSD symptoms. • Higher levels of BCEs predicted less risky reproductive planning. • Higher BCEs and lower family dysfunction predicted less prenatal stress exposure. • Early childhood experiences were more predictive than experiences beginning later. This study examined type and timing of childhood experiences – both adverse (ACEs; Felitti et al., 1998) and benevolent (BCEs, a novel index of childhood resources; Narayan, Rivera, Bernstein, Harris, & Lieberman, 2018) on several pregnancy-related outcomes. Participants were 101 low-income pregnant women (M = 29.10 years, SD = 6.56, range = 18–44; 37% Latina, 22% African-American, 20% White, 13% biracial/multiracial, 8% other) who completed the ACEs questionnaire for childhood maltreatment versus family dysfunction and the BCEs scale, including the ages when experiences occurred [i.e., 0–5 years (early childhood), 6–12 years (middle childhood), and 13–18 years (adolescence)]. They also reported on psychopathology symptoms, risky reproductive planning, stressful life events (SLEs), and demographics. Analyses supported type, rather than timing of experiences: specific experiences (i.e., maltreatment versus family dysfunction versus BCEs) predicted specific outcomes, regardless of the developmental period when they occurred. Specifically, maltreatment predicted PTSD symptoms, BCEs predicted risky reproductive planning, and family dysfunction and BCEs predicted SLEs. Experiences that began earlier were also more predictive than experiences that began later. Findings suggest that adverse versus benevolent childhood experiences are uniquely linked to adaptation during pregnancy and underscore the importance of also including BCEs in prenatal screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent imperative to scale up access to effective, family-focused mental health services for trauma-exposed infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, who represent the most vulnerable and most underserved sector of the clinical child population. This article describes the process of scaling child-parent psychotherapy, an evidence-based treatment currently used in 39 U.S. states and six countries, as an example of the promise and challenge of large-scale implementation of relationship-based treatments., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Traumatic Stress published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of InterestsNone declared