Chapter 16: Maltreatment

Question 1

Explain the De Bellis (2001) Developmental Traumatology Model.

CPA Can Actually Calculate

Answer 1

Child Abuse and Neglect > PTSD symptoms in childhood > Alterations of LHPA Axis and Catecholamines (stress responses; fight or flight) > Changes in Brain Metabolism (enhanced neuron loss, anterior cingulate dysfunction) > Adverse Effects of Brain Development (smaller cerebrum, corpus callosum) > Compromised Cognitive and Psychosocial Outcomes

Effects of Other Variables:
Prior Child Psychopathology
Other Adverse Life Events
Familial/Genetic Family History
Family Function/Social Support/Environmental Stimulation
Non-Abusing Parent Psychological Function
Intervention Post-Maltreatment Disclosure

Maltreatment in childhood may be more detrimental than adulthood trauma, given its potential to compromise development across multiple systems (behavioral, cognitive, emotional)

The biological stress system will be based on individual differences (genetics); on the severity and frequency of the stressor; whether the system maintains homeostasis in the context of the stressor, or if the system permanently changes in response to the stressor.

Changes in biological stress systems can cause psychiatric symptoms like PTSD