Towards a conceptual framework of adolescents’ peritraumatic responses to child maltreatment: A cross-cultural study of adolescents in residential care in Germany and Israel

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Vera Clemens; Professor Dr. Andreas Jud
• Subject Area: Clinical Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ; Biological Psychiatry ; Public Health, Healthcare Research, Social and Occupational Medicine
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 518733461

Traumatic experiences, especially during childhood, can lead to an enormous burden of somatic and mental health problems. Less is known on why some subjects develop disorders in the aftermath of child maltreatment (CM) experiences and others do not. To date, studies mainly focus on retrospective assessments of traumatic experiences during childhood, assessing type of trauma and health outcome. Timing of trauma, biological responses and peritraumatic responses to traumatic experiences have been acknowledged as imperative components in the way survivors perceive traumata, in the self-attributions they will develop, and, consequently, in their impact on long-term mental and physical health. Surprisingly, differential peritraumatic responses of children during incidents of CM received little attention so far. The main theoretical framework with respect to peritraumatic responses is based on the 3F model (Fight-Flight-Freeze). However, a sound empirical basis for the model in maltreated children is lacking and latest research points towards peritraumatic responses beyond the 3F model. The proposed research project aims to establish a new insight into differential responses to CM-associated traumatic events in children and adolescents. In a high-risk sample of children and adolescents living in institutional care, we aim to assess the impact of timing and type of trauma, differential peritraumatic responses and associated biological response of children to CM and the consequences for their mental health. While recruiting in Germany and Israel, thereby providing an opportunity to assess the social-structural effect on peritraumatic responses and its consequences, universality will be tested. Beyond the proposed study's theoretical contribution, the project aims to inform practice in the fields of child protection and family trauma and will promote a better adaptation of prevention and intervention efforts in these fields via an understanding of the critical role played by peritraumatic responses in CM survivors. This novel integrative approach to peritraumatic responses and its long-term ramifications has the potential to advance the development of theoretical and clinical frameworks that will not only impact CM studies but also the field of trauma research.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Israel
• Cooperation Partner: Professorin Carmit Katz
• International Co-Applicant: Professorin Dr. Noga Tsur