Abstract
Childhood maltreatment experiences are risk factors for externalizing and internalizing symptoms, as well as substance abuse problems during adolescence. In the present study, we administered structured interviews to 394 adolescents receiving outpatient substance abuse treatment services (280 males; Myears = 16.33; SDyears = 1.15). K-means cluster analysis was used to examine: (a) the co-patterning of childhood maltreatment experiences and past-year externalizing symptoms (for drug and alcohol abuse and dependence, conduct disorder); (b) between-cluster differences in serious internalizing problems (for past-year anxiety and depression symptoms and current distress); and (c) gender differences in these relations. Both similarities and differences were identified in maltreatment-externalizing behavior patterns and relations with serious internalizing problems across gender groups. Childhood maltreatment and subsequent psychopathology have implications for the adaptation and delivery of substance abuse treatment services to boys and girls to improve their engagement and treatment outcomes.
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This work was supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01 AA014322). The sponsor had no role in the study design; the collection, analysis or interpretation of the data collected; the writing of this manuscript; or the decision to submit this manuscript for publication. A preliminary version of this manuscript was presented as a poster at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, April 2018, in Minneapolis, MN.
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Davila, M., Tubman, J.G. Gender, Maltreatment and Psychiatric Symptoms Among Adolescents in Outpatient Substance Abuse Treatment. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 37, 385–396 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-019-00637-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-019-00637-4