PSYCHOBIOLOGY OF TRAUMATIC STRESS IN SEXUALLY ABUSED GIRLS

遭受性虐待的女孩创伤应激的心理生物学

• 批准号: 6265663
• 负责人: LINDA EWING-COBBS
• 金额: $ 1.11万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1998
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1998-12-01 至 1999-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/6265663
• 关键词: aggression; angers; attention; behavioral /social science research tag; catecholamines; child abuse; child behavior disorders; clinical research; conflict; depression; female; follicle stimulating hormone; glucocorticoids; human subject; hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis; long term memory; luteinizing hormone; mental health epidemiology; middle childhood (6-11); neurohormones; posttraumatic stress disorder; precocious puberty; psychobiology; psychological stressor; sex abuse

Child sexual abuse (CSA) may be defined as severe and/or repeated adverse sexual experience(s) involving genital contact before the age of 18 years by an older perpetrator. The prevalence of sexual abuse in females has been estimated at up to 33% (Peters, Wyatt & Finkelhor, 1988; Whitwell, 1990). The objective of this proposal was to study the psychobiology of chronic traumatic stress in sexually abused girls ages 6 through 12 years. We targeted girls who experienced incidents of sexual fondling at least 3 months, but less than 12 months prior to participation in this study. Sexually abused girls ranged in age from 8.0 to 11. 1 years, with a mean of 9.0 years. Sexually abused girls were either genitally and orally fondled or just genitally fondled. None had experienced penile penetration. All girls experienced multiple abuse episodes. Therefore, this group is most consistent with a chronically stressed rather than an acutely stressed population. Comparison girls were recruited from families known to the investigators who were generally similar in demographic variables. Their ages ranged from 8.0 to 11.4, with a mean of 8.1 years. Post-traumatic stress develops following exposure to intensely distressing events, such as sexual abuse. In the presence of intense stress, endogenous stress-responsive neurohormones including catecholamines, hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and endogenous opioids are released. The organism utilizes these stress hormones to activate the energy necessary to handle the stressor in various ways, including increased glucose release and heightened arousal. However, the body's adaptation to persistent stress may inhibit the efficacy of the stress response and lead to desensitization. We hypothesized that the posttraumatic stress of sexual abuse causes alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, specifically decreased glucocorticoid levels, which are related to deficits in memory, attention and affective status.

儿童性虐待（CSA）可以被定义为严重和/或反复不良的性经验（S），涉及生殖器接触之前的18岁的年龄较大的肇事者。 据估计，女性遭受性虐待的比例高达33%（Peters、Wyatt和Finkelhor，1988年; Whitwell，1990年）。 这项建议的目的是研究6至12岁受性虐待女孩的慢性创伤压力的心理生物学。我们的目标是在参与这项研究之前至少3个月但不到12个月经历过性爱抚事件的女孩。遭受性虐待的女孩年龄从8岁到11岁不等。 1年，平均9年。 遭受性虐待的女孩要么被抚摸生殖器和口腔，要么只是被抚摸生殖器。 没有人经历过阴茎插入。 所有女孩都经历过多次虐待事件。 因此，这一群体最符合慢性压力人群，而不是急性压力人群。 比较女孩是从调查人员已知的家庭中招募的，这些家庭在人口统计学变量方面基本相似。 年龄8.0 ~ 11.4岁，平均8.1岁。创伤后应激障碍是在经历了诸如性虐待等极度痛苦的事件后产生的。 在存在强烈应激的情况下，释放内源性应激反应神经激素，包括儿茶酚胺、下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴的激素和内源性阿片样物质。 生物体利用这些应激激素以各种方式激活处理应激源所需的能量，包括增加葡萄糖释放和提高唤醒。 然而，身体对持续压力的适应可能会抑制压力反应的功效并导致脱敏。 我们假设性虐待的创伤后应激导致下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴的改变，特别是糖皮质激素水平降低，这与记忆力、注意力和情感状态的缺陷有关。