Non suicidal self-injury, emotional eating and insomnia after child sexual abuse: Are those symptoms related to emotion regulation?. (January 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Demirci, Esra
• Is Part Of: Journal of forensic and legal medicine. Volume 53(2018)
• Page Start: 17
• Page End: 21
• Publication Date: 2018-01
• Subjects: Child sexual abuse -- Non suicidal self-injury -- Emotional eating -- Insomnia -- Emotion regulation; Medical jurisprudence -- Periodicals; Forensic sciences -- Periodicals; Forensic Medicine -- Periodicals; Médecine légale -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 614.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2017.10.012
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1752-928X

Abstract

Abstract: Objective: The aim of this article was to assess the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) on emotion regulation (ER) in adolescents and to evaluate the relationships between non suicidal self-injury (NSSI), emotional eating, insomnia and emotion disregulation (ED). Method: Fifty two adolescents, aged 10–18 years, without who weren't diagnosed a psychiatric disease before abuse and completed 6-months of follow-up after abuse included the study. Control group consisted of 33 healthy voluntary participants without any known psychiatric disorders. Patients and volunteers who participated in the study were assessed with the Inventory of Statements About Self-injury (ISAS), Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia severity index (ISI), and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS). Results: In our study, PSQI scores, DERS total scores and DEBQ emotional eating subscores were significantly higher in the CSA victims (In orderly; p = 0, 034, p < 0.001, p = 0, 023). 55.7% of the CSA victims reported self-injurious behavior, while 15.5% of healthy voluntary participants reporting self-injurious behavior. The CSA victims reporting NSSI had higher DERS scores than CSA victims without NSSI. (p = 0.024). The CSA victims with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and CSA victims without PTSD had a positive correlation between DEBQ emotional eating subscores and DERS total scores (In orderly: r = 0.762, p = 0.031; r = 0.872, p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between the PSQI scores and DERS scores in the CSA victims with PTSD (r = 0.827, p = 0.023). Conclusion: Further studies are needed to assess the relationship between self-injury, emotional eating, insomnia and ED, and to determine how sexual abuse effect the ER in a clinical sample of CSA. Highlights: PSQI scores and DERS total scores were higher in the CSA victims. DEBQ emotional eating subscores were significantly higher in the CSA victims. 55.7% of the CSA victims reported NSSI. There is positive correlation between DEBQ emotional eating subscores and DERS scores. Assessment of emotion regulation is needed after sexual abuse.