Children Sexually Abused by Multiple Perpetrators: Long-Term Adjustment and Familial Risk Factors

• NCJ Number: 127589
• Author(s): P J Long; K C Ray; J L Jackson
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper presented at the 23rd Annual AABT Convention, Washington, D.C., November 1989

Annotation

Information from 16 female university students who had experienced child sexual abuse by more than 1 perpetrator, 16 students who had been abused by a single perpetrator, and 16 nonvictims formed the basis of an analysis of the long-term adjustment and family backgrounds of victims of multiple perpetrators.

Abstract

The participants completed several instruments, including the Past Experiences Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Social Adjustment Scale, and the Family Environment Scale. Analyses of variance showed that victims of multiple perpetrators reported significantly lower levels of cohesion in their families of origin than did nonvictims. They also reported less expressiveness, more conflict, and more control in their families than did either single-perpetrator victims or nonvictims. However, no significant differences were found between the groups on adjustment measures. Results supported the study hypothesis regarding the relative functioning of the families of origin, but did not support the hypothesis regarding long-term adjustment. Tables and 15 references