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Britta L. Bergan is a 2016 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, Seattle.

Dissertation Committee:

  • Patricia Linn, Ph.D., Committee Chair
  • Mark Russell, Ph.D., ABPP, Committee Member
  • Larkin McReynolds, Ph.D. Committee Member

Keywords

archival research, archival study, juvenile justice, Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration, residential treatment, trauma, trauma exposure, trauma symptomology, traumatic stress, PTSD, mental health

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2016

Abstract

Exposure to traumatic and stressful events has become increasingly commonplace and the impact of such experiences has been well documented. Trauma events in childhood have been associated with a number of factors, including maladaptive emotional and behavioral responses, increased vulnerability for exposure to additional traumatic events, and adverse experiences later in life. Juvenile justice youth have been found to have higher rates of trauma exposure, when compared to community samples of same-aged peers. The population of youth residing at Echo Glen Children’s Center, in Snoqualmie, Washington, exhibit unique characteristics for a juvenile justice population, including age (the youngest juvenile offenders in the state of Washington), gender (the only facility for adjudicated girls in the state of Washington), and mental health (a Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (JRA) mental-health designated treatment facility). This archival study explored the relationships among demographic variables (age, gender, ethnicity, committing offense, and co-morbid mental health diagnoses) and trauma symptomology endorsed by new intake residents at Echo Glen Children’s Center. The overall aim included describing, in demographic terms, the youth entering treatment at Echo Glen, in order to gain a better sense of whether their unique characteristics relate to trauma exposure and symptomology. Four hundred and sixty-six youth, ages 10–18, completed a self-report computerized assessment, the Voice-Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (V-DISC), upon intake at Echo Glen Children’s Center from February 11, 2011, to June 30, 2014. Youth endorsement on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder items provided information on trauma exposure and symptomology and demographic information was obtained through JRA official records. Results indicated that the majority of youth entering Echo Glen have been exposed to trauma (81.3%). For trauma-exposed youth, relationships between demographic variables and trauma were evident for gender, age, committing offense, and mental health diagnoses. There was no relationship found between trauma symptoms and ethnicity. This study identified the associations among demographic characteristics, trauma exposure, and symptomology in youth entering treatment at Echo Glen Children’s Center. The electronic version of this dissertation is at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

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Britta L. Bergan, Ph.D.

ORCID Scholar ID # : 0000-0001-8072-0398

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