During my doctoral program in sexology focusing on childhood interpersonal trauma (i.e., various forms of abuse and neglect that can be experienced before the age of 18)1 and intimate relationships in adulthood, I was instantly drawn to the importance of the research conducted by our team due to its social impact.
Studies indicate that one to two-thirds of the population has experienced at least one childhood interpersonal trauma.2,3. This implies that within an intimate relationship - e.g., romantic, dating - there is a high probability that at least one partner is a survivor of these types of traumas. Childhood interpersonal trauma has a wide range of implications for intimate relationships in adulthood. For example, survivors have more difficulty engaging in and maintaining intimate relationships, experience more conflict, which can escalate to violence4, and report less sexual satisfaction5.
Firmly rooted in the goal of having our researchers and students share more knowledge with the general public, the idea of launching a TRACE Blog took form. The blog article allows for a more in-depth dissection of a subject than the limited space offered by social media (e.g., Instagram, FB, Twitter), a medium used immensely at TRACE. In addition, to reach different target audiences, multiplying the ways of spreading a message is important.
Therefore, it is with great pleasure that our blog will unfold over the next few weeks. In order to provide you with regular and long-lasting content, TRACE has partnered with the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS). This valuable collaboration with our Research Centre allows for calls for papers of all student members interested in submitting and publishing an article on our blog, as well as the establishment of a review committee dedicated to the popularization of science. I am very proud of the quality of the articles that have been submitted so far, and I look forward to seeing the caliber of work produced at CRIPCAS.
Stay tuned: a blog post will be posted every two weeks on various issues surrounding interpersonal trauma or intimate relationships. To make sure you don't miss the launch of these articles, they will be shared on TRACE’s social media and on the CRIPCAS Facebook page (don't hesitate to subscribe to stay informed of our publications!).
In conclusion, the realization of this project would never have been possible without all the people who worked collaboratively to make it happen. In this regard, I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart:
- All the authors who have submitted a blog post so far (you'll find out who they are soon, we'll keep it a surprise!)
- The members of the blog post review committee, composed of
- Deziray De Sousa, Andréanne Fortin and Julia Garon-Bissonnette, students
- Mireille Cyr and Jacinthe Dion, researchers
- Mélanie Corneau, scientific coordinator
- My research co-directors, Mylène Fernet (director of the Laboratoire d'études sur la violence et la sexualité, UQAM) and Natacha Godbout (director of TRACE), who have scientific popularization at heart and without whom our visibility, for example on social media, would not be possible
- The Fonds de recherche du Québec, for their grant in the framework of the Dialogue competition- Student relief component. This funding is specifically dedicated to scientific communications for the general public, and is essential to ensure that our research reaches you!
To cite this article: Dussault, É. (2021, October 18). Launch of our TRACE blog in partnership with the Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS). TRACE Blog. https://natachagodbout.com/en/blog/launch-our-trace-blog
- 1Bigras, N., Godbout, N., Hébert, M., & Sabourin, S. (2017). Cumulative adverse childhood experiences and sexual satisfaction in sex therapy patients: What role for symptom complexity? The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14(3), 444-454. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.01.013
- 2Stoltenborgh, M., Bakermans‐Kranenburg, M. J., Alink, L. R., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2014). The prevalence of child maltreatment across the globe: Review of a series of meta‐analyses. Child Abuse Review, 24(1), 37-50. DOI: 10.1002/car.2353
- 3Copeland, W. E., Keeler, G., Angold, A., & Costello, E. J. (2007). Traumatic events and posttraumatic stress in childhood. Archives of General Psychiatry, 64, 577–584.
- 4Dugal, C., Bigras, N., Godbout, N., & Bélanger, C. (2016). Childhood interpersonal trauma and its repercussions in adulthood: An analysis of psychological and interpersonal sequelae. In G. El Baalbaki, & C. Fortin (Eds.). A Multidimensional Approach to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-from Theory to Practice, 71-107. DOI: 10.5772/64476
- 5Godbout, N., Bakhos, G., Dussault, E., & Hébert, M. (2020). Childhood interpersonal trauma and sexual satisfaction in patients seeking sex therapy: Examining mindfulness and psychological distress as mediators. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 46:1, 43-56. doi: 10.1080/0092623X.2019.1626309.
