Physiological and Neurobiological Consequences of Child Abuse
College Aantekeningen – Pedagogische Wetenschappen
Inhoud
Lecture 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................. 2
Lecture 2: Neurobiological consequences ............................................................................... 10
Cognitive level .......................................................................................................................... 10
Neurobiological Level .............................................................................................................. 12
HPA-as........................................................................................................................................ 19
Lecture 3: Stress and HPA-axis ................................................................................................... 22
Lecture 4: Genetic Vulnerability & Resilience Epigenetics ...................................................... 33
Nature versus Nurture .............................................................................................................. 34
Introduction to genetics .......................................................................................................... 34
Genetic vulnerability / resilience in psychology ................................................................... 38
Epigenetics (methylation) ........................................................................................................ 44
Lecture 5: Childhood maltreatment and Borderline Personality Disorder ........................... 47
Lecture 6: Physical Health and Aging ........................................................................................ 57
Behavioural pathways .............................................................................................................. 58
Social pathways ........................................................................................................................ 59
Cognitive pathways .................................................................................................................. 61
Emotional Pathways ................................................................................................................. 62
Lecture 7: Long-term impact sexual abuse .............................................................................. 67
Lecture 8: Psychological effects of child abuse - diagnosis and treatment in adults ........... 77
Diagnostics ................................................................................................................................ 77
Treatment of consequences of childhood abuse ................................................................. 79
1
,Lecture 1: Introduction
Course goal
- Illustrate and explain the consequences of the different forms of childhood
maltreatment within the domains of cognition, emotion, social behaviour, and
physical health
- Describe the psychological and neurobiological models that aim to explain the
long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment and individual differences in
risk and resilience
- Summarize and discuss different forms of psychotherapy that address the
consequences of childhood maltreatment.
- Learn about different research methods and their potential use in studying the
longterm consequences of childhood maltreatment.
- Getting familiarized with reading scientific literature
Set-up of the course
- Knowledge based = largely self-study!
o Scientific literature on Brightspace (listed per week)
o Book Bruce Perry including case studies
- Use the Discussion Forum to study:
o Send your questions about the literature in advance of the lecture
o Practice questions about the book
▪ Answers should come from the group
▪ Reviewed at the end of the week
- Weekly Lectures
o (Guest) lectures: connection of topics to the field
o Researchers / Clinicians
Literature: see Brightspace
Scientific papers:
- Objectives:
o Stimulate evidence-based practice
o Get familiar with reading scientific literature
- 1) Research results
o Focus on theoretical reasoning, main outcomes and conclusions
o Specific methods are less important, but needed to understand and
interpret the results
- 2) Review papers
o Focus on theory, consensus among studies, and conclusions
o No knowledge of the separately discussed papers is needed
Book
- Perry & Szalavitz (2007). The boy who was raised as a dog.
o Not a classic study book
o Examples (case studies) of the consequences of abuse and neglect and its
neurobiological background
o Discussion Forum on BS: a medium to integrate book with lecture topics
2
,Contents:
- Background (Terminology, Prevalence)
- Psychological Disorders after Maltreatment
- Underlying Mechanism
Relationship between parent and child (mostly mothers)
Importance of good (enough) Parenting
- Emotional interactions with caretaker fundament for later development (Bowlby,
1969)
o Form attachment
o Establish sense of safety and security
o Learn to regulate own emotions
o Understand emotional states of others (through modelling)
o Learn to trust others
o Learn empathy
Why, learn about the long term consequences of childhood abuse and neglect??
3
, Definition childhood maltreatment
Any act of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm,
potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Harm does not need to be intended. -
Gilbert et al., 2009
Omission versus Commision
Types of maltreatment
- Emotional neglect
o ‘Failure to meet a child's emotional needs and failure to protect a child from
violence in the home or neighbourhood’
- Physical Neglect
o ‘Failure to meet a child's basic physical, medical/dental, or educational
needs; failure to provide adequate nutrition, hygiene, or shelter’
- Emotional abuse
o ‘Intentional behaviour that conveys to a child that he/she is worthless,
flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or valued only in meeting
another's needs’
- Physical abuse
o ‘Intentional use of physical force or implements against a child that results
in, or has the potential to result in, physical injury’
- Sexual abuse
o ‘Any completed or attempted sexual act, sexual contact, or non-contact
sexual interaction with a child by a caregiver
Prevalence of childhood maltreatment - World Health Organisation
4
College Aantekeningen – Pedagogische Wetenschappen
Inhoud
Lecture 1: Introduction .................................................................................................................. 2
Lecture 2: Neurobiological consequences ............................................................................... 10
Cognitive level .......................................................................................................................... 10
Neurobiological Level .............................................................................................................. 12
HPA-as........................................................................................................................................ 19
Lecture 3: Stress and HPA-axis ................................................................................................... 22
Lecture 4: Genetic Vulnerability & Resilience Epigenetics ...................................................... 33
Nature versus Nurture .............................................................................................................. 34
Introduction to genetics .......................................................................................................... 34
Genetic vulnerability / resilience in psychology ................................................................... 38
Epigenetics (methylation) ........................................................................................................ 44
Lecture 5: Childhood maltreatment and Borderline Personality Disorder ........................... 47
Lecture 6: Physical Health and Aging ........................................................................................ 57
Behavioural pathways .............................................................................................................. 58
Social pathways ........................................................................................................................ 59
Cognitive pathways .................................................................................................................. 61
Emotional Pathways ................................................................................................................. 62
Lecture 7: Long-term impact sexual abuse .............................................................................. 67
Lecture 8: Psychological effects of child abuse - diagnosis and treatment in adults ........... 77
Diagnostics ................................................................................................................................ 77
Treatment of consequences of childhood abuse ................................................................. 79
1
,Lecture 1: Introduction
Course goal
- Illustrate and explain the consequences of the different forms of childhood
maltreatment within the domains of cognition, emotion, social behaviour, and
physical health
- Describe the psychological and neurobiological models that aim to explain the
long-term consequences of childhood maltreatment and individual differences in
risk and resilience
- Summarize and discuss different forms of psychotherapy that address the
consequences of childhood maltreatment.
- Learn about different research methods and their potential use in studying the
longterm consequences of childhood maltreatment.
- Getting familiarized with reading scientific literature
Set-up of the course
- Knowledge based = largely self-study!
o Scientific literature on Brightspace (listed per week)
o Book Bruce Perry including case studies
- Use the Discussion Forum to study:
o Send your questions about the literature in advance of the lecture
o Practice questions about the book
▪ Answers should come from the group
▪ Reviewed at the end of the week
- Weekly Lectures
o (Guest) lectures: connection of topics to the field
o Researchers / Clinicians
Literature: see Brightspace
Scientific papers:
- Objectives:
o Stimulate evidence-based practice
o Get familiar with reading scientific literature
- 1) Research results
o Focus on theoretical reasoning, main outcomes and conclusions
o Specific methods are less important, but needed to understand and
interpret the results
- 2) Review papers
o Focus on theory, consensus among studies, and conclusions
o No knowledge of the separately discussed papers is needed
Book
- Perry & Szalavitz (2007). The boy who was raised as a dog.
o Not a classic study book
o Examples (case studies) of the consequences of abuse and neglect and its
neurobiological background
o Discussion Forum on BS: a medium to integrate book with lecture topics
2
,Contents:
- Background (Terminology, Prevalence)
- Psychological Disorders after Maltreatment
- Underlying Mechanism
Relationship between parent and child (mostly mothers)
Importance of good (enough) Parenting
- Emotional interactions with caretaker fundament for later development (Bowlby,
1969)
o Form attachment
o Establish sense of safety and security
o Learn to regulate own emotions
o Understand emotional states of others (through modelling)
o Learn to trust others
o Learn empathy
Why, learn about the long term consequences of childhood abuse and neglect??
3
, Definition childhood maltreatment
Any act of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm,
potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Harm does not need to be intended. -
Gilbert et al., 2009
Omission versus Commision
Types of maltreatment
- Emotional neglect
o ‘Failure to meet a child's emotional needs and failure to protect a child from
violence in the home or neighbourhood’
- Physical Neglect
o ‘Failure to meet a child's basic physical, medical/dental, or educational
needs; failure to provide adequate nutrition, hygiene, or shelter’
- Emotional abuse
o ‘Intentional behaviour that conveys to a child that he/she is worthless,
flawed, unloved, unwanted, endangered, or valued only in meeting
another's needs’
- Physical abuse
o ‘Intentional use of physical force or implements against a child that results
in, or has the potential to result in, physical injury’
- Sexual abuse
o ‘Any completed or attempted sexual act, sexual contact, or non-contact
sexual interaction with a child by a caregiver
Prevalence of childhood maltreatment - World Health Organisation
4
