NCJ Number
218398
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2007 Pages: 191-197
Date Published
May 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study of 29 mothers whose resident partners sexually abused their children tested the theory that a nonoffending parent in a child sexual abuse case could have ambivalent feelings and beliefs about the credibility of the child's disclosure of the abuse and still provide support for the child.
Abstract
The most significant finding was that the mother's support and ambivalence about the allegations were unrelated, suggesting that nonoffending parents could be both ambivalent and supportive after disclosure of their child's sexual abuse by a partner. Because no tests of significance were used, however, the interpretation of findings must be limited. Additional studies with larger samples should test this hypothetical model before more definitive statements regarding relationships among variables can be made. Participants were 32 nonoffending parents of children who had disclosed sexual abuse by partners living in the home. Of these, 29 completed useable questionnaires. The measurement of ambivalence involved the use of two scales with parallel items that solicited the nonoffending parent's feelings and beliefs toward the perpetrator and the child victim. Parental support was measured with the Needs-Based Assessment of Parental Support, which focused on parental support in the areas of the child's basic needs, safety issues, love and belonging, and the nurturing of self-esteem. Participants were recruited from nonoffending mothers whose children entered a medical clinic for an outpatient sexual abuse medical or forensic examination. 1 figure and 23 references