NCJ Number
177048
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 23 Issue: 2 Dated: February 1999 Pages: 115-128
Date Published
1999
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examines how age at the time of sexual abuse discovery and gender of victim are related to psychological distress.
Abstract
One hundred sixty-nine participants (96 children, 73 adolescents) were interviewed within 8 weeks of discovery of sexual abuse. Multivariate analyses were used to examine how age at discovery, and gender, with abuse characteristics as covariates, were related to shame, attribution style, depression, self-esteem and traumatic events sequelae. Adolescents compared to children reported a higher level of depressive symptoms and negative reactions by others and lower levels of self-esteem, social support, and sexual anxiety. Girls compared to boys reported higher levels of intrusive thoughts, hyperarousal, sexual anxiety, personal vulnerability, and perceiving the world as a dangerous place, and lower levels of eroticism. These findings suggest the importance of considering individual differences in age and gender for understanding patterns of symptom expression. Treatment strategies should reflect these individual differences in adjustment, such as targeting issues of sexual anxiety for girls and self-esteem for adolescents. Table, references