Dulmus Catherine N, Hilarski Carolyn
Buffalo Center for Social Research, University of Buffalo, NY 14214, USA.
Health Soc Work. 2006 Aug;31(3):181-8. doi: 10.1093/hsw/31.3.181.
This study examined gender and age differences in children's psychological response to parental victimization in a convenience sample of African American children. Thirty youths, ages six to 12, whose parents had been a victim of community violence (that is, gunshot or stabbing), and a control group of 30 children matched on variables of race, age, gender, and neighborhood served as the sample for this study. Parents completed a demographics sheet and the Child Behavior Checklist. Data were collected within six weeks of parental victimization. No significant difference was found in male and female youths' internalizing and externalizing behavior at ages six to eight. However, beginning at age nine there was a significant difference in behavior. Youths exposed to parental victimization internalized and externalized to a greater degree than those children who were not exposed. Males externalized more than females, and females internalized more than males. Thus, the perceived trauma response may vary as a function of the child's gender and developmental level or age. These findings suggest that gender-specific response related to trauma exposure may begin as early as age nine.
本研究在一个非裔美国儿童便利样本中，考察了儿童对父母遭受伤害的心理反应中的性别和年龄差异。30名6至12岁的青少年，其父母曾是社区暴力（即枪击或刺伤）的受害者，以及一个由30名在种族、年龄、性别和邻里变量上匹配的儿童组成的对照组，作为本研究的样本。父母填写了一份人口统计信息表和儿童行为清单。在父母遭受伤害后的六周内收集数据。在6至8岁的青少年中，未发现男性和女性在内化和外化行为上有显著差异。然而，从9岁开始，行为上出现了显著差异。遭受父母伤害的青少年比未遭受伤害的儿童在更大程度上出现内化和外化行为。男性的外化行为比女性更多，而女性的内化行为比男性更多。因此，感知到的创伤反应可能会因儿童的性别和发育水平或年龄而有所不同。这些发现表明，与创伤暴露相关的性别特异性反应可能早在9岁就开始了。
