| This study aimed to identify psychodiagnostic patterns of personality in adolescents with histories of childhood abuse. The sample (N=178) consisted of prior adolescent residents of a Midwestern treatment facility with identified histories of sexual, physical, and combined sexual and physical abuse. Participants were administered the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) as a part of a standard assessment battery conducted at admission. It was hypothesized that (1) children who have experienced incidents of childhood abuse will each present with a unique assessment profile pattern that is specific to each type of abuse experienced, (2) children with histories of sexual abuse will endorse more symptoms associated with Borderline Personality Disorder and Internalizing behaviors, (3) children with histories of physical abuse will endorse more symptoms associated with Antisocial Personality Disorder and Externalizing behaviors, (4) children with histories of combined sexual/physical abuse will endorse more symptoms associated with both Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorder and endorse symptoms associated with both Internalizing and Externalizing behaviors, (5) children who experienced sexual, physical, and combined sexual/physical forms of abuse before the age of 6 will endorse a more severe assessment profile pattern than youth who have experienced these forms of abuse after the age of 6, and (6) that the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) provides additional third party information to the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) important in identifying a comprehensive and clear assessment profile pattern of childhood abuse. Results indicate that a specific assessment pattern cannot be clearly identified by type of abuse. Demographic factors, such as age, race/ethnicity, and gender, play an important role the way that adolescents who have experienced childhood abuse complete psychodiagnostic assessments; however, the age in which an adolescent first reported abuse does not differ in the endorsement of symptom severity between ages 0 to 6 and 7 to 17. These findings highlight the need for further research into current methods of psychological testing, interpretation, and diagnosis assignment, and the role of childhood abuse on symptom endorsement. Specifically, research focused on personality development in adolescents with abuse histories and the role of assessment as a way to inform more effective interventions for children with histories of trauma. |
