TSI2/MMQ and LEHR Studies
These two projects combine data collected from local university students along with online data collected from participants across North America. The TSI2/MMQ study was designed to contribute to the validation of the revised Trauma Symptom Inventory (i.e., the TSI2; Briere, 2012) along with the development of a measure to assess “meaning-making” in the context of previous challenging life experiences. Over 1000 men and women participated in this study (about 1/2 contributed via online portals based in the United States). The TSI2 has now been published (by PAR) for use as a clinical assessment tool and scholarly papers exploring the factor structure of the measure and its association with other psychological measures and constructs are currently in submission. The LEHR (Life Events, Health, and Relationships) study is currently in progress: this study is providing initial data on a new measure of clinical attachment along with examinations of interpersonal trauma, posttraumatic stress, substance abuse, health, sexual risk behaviours, and sexual roles.
Life Events Study
This project involved data gathered from 580 male and female university students at UVic who responded to three new scales of psychological functioning that have recently been developed by my colleague at USC, John Briere. Data from this study have been published in the professional manuals (published by PAR) for the following measures: the Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress (DAPS), the Inventory of Altered Self Capacities (IASC), and the Multiscale Dissociation Inventory (MDI). These scales assess symptoms that have been found to be associated with interpersonal trauma (e.g., posttraumatic stress symptoms, substance abuse, suicidality, dissociation, identity issues, interpersonal relatedness, and affect control). Data on Briere’s (2000) Cognitive Distortions Scale (CDS) have also been collected as part of this study.
Research presentations from the Life Events study:
Inventory of Altered Self Capacities (IASC) paper, CPA (May, 2002)
Traumatic Events (DAPS) paper, CPA (May, 2002)
Identity and Intimacy paper, CPA (May, 2002)
Women’s Health and Relationships Study (WHRS)
The WHRS is a community study of 260 women, their experiences of victimization across the life-span, and the influence of these experiences on their current physical and mental health. Areas under exploration include: sexual and reproductive health and functioning, psychological maltreatment and relationship functioning, substance use and abuse, post-traumatic stress, coping strategies, life stress, general health symptoms, violence across the lifespan, health service use, and revictimization. One graduate student has conducted her disseration research in conjunction with this project. Her study (Roche, 2001) showed that adult attachment and object relations are important mediators of the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult psychological adjustment and relationship functioning. Two other papers on data from the WHRS have been presented at recent conferences (see below).
Research presentations from the WHRS:
Childhood maltreatment, PTSD, dissociation, and substance abuse, CPA (June, 2007).
PTSD, childhood maltreatment, and women’s health, CPA (June, 2006).
Disclosure of childhood sexual abuse, ISTSS (Nov., 2005)
Reproductive and sexual health issues, Violence and Women’s Health Conference (April, 2003)
Psychological maltreatment and relationships, CPA (May, 2002)
Women’s Health Study I
This study involved 775 women university students who completed measures of health, victimization, trauma symptoms (i.e., TSI), and current life stress. One purpose of this study was the development of the Women’s Health Inventory, which is a questionnaire that I developed to assess a variety of heath related concerns, symptoms, and behaviors in women with a history of victimization. Out of this came the Health Symptoms Checklist (HSC; Runtz, 2002) which is a measure of the frequency of various general health concerns such as headaches, backaches, heart palpitations, etc., which were found to be particularly problematic for women with a history of childhood physical maltreatment. Also published from this study, is a paper validating the Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSI; Runtz & Roche, 1999).
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