Exposure to traumatic events poses greater risk for irritability in girls than in boys

Journal of Affective Disorders Reports

Gry Børmark Hoftun¹  Erik R. Sund²  Marit Skrove³  Carla B. Kalvin⁴  Stian Lydersen⁵  Marit Henriksen⁶  Denis G. Sukhodolsky⁶ 

[1] Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States;Corresponding author at: Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway;Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway;Department of Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway;Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, St. Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway;Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway;

关键词: Trauma;    Irritability;    Conduct problems;    Antisocial behavior;    Adolescence;    Sex-differences;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: Considerable research has documented the effects of trauma exposure on conduct disorder and delinquency in high-risk and predominantly male samples. However, less is known about sex differences in the effects of trauma exposure on distinct features of conduct problems in non-clinical samples. Method: In this study, we used cross-sectional data from the Young-HUNT4 study (2017-2019), a population-based study of adolescents aged 13 to 19 years old in Norway, to examine sex differences in concurrent associations between trauma exposure, PTSD symptoms, irritability, and antisocial behavior. The sample consisted of 7422 adolescents (3611 boys). Results: Trauma exposure, both specific traumatic events and summed traumatic events, were associated with irritability and antisocial behavior for both sexes. Interaction effects for sex were detected only for the association between trauma exposure and irritability. The odds ratio was significantly higher for girls, indicating that the effect of experiencing one additional traumatic event increased the risk of irritability more for girls than for boys. Limitations: The study is based on cross-sectional data, thus precluding causal interpretations. Conclusion: The association between trauma and irritability and antisocial behavior was confirmed for both sexes in our study. However, the effect of experiencing one additional traumatic event on irritability was stronger for girls than for boys. The findings can inform the development of preventative and clinical interventions targeting irritability for adolescent boys and girls.

【 授权许可】

Unknown