NCJ Number
188943
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2001 Pages: 179-198
Date Published
January 2001
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study used standardized measures and structured interviews to examine the characteristics of child sexual abuse (CSA) related to posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD), depression, and dissociative severity in adult survivors and what abuse characteristics influenced the severity of dissociation during the CSA.
Abstract
The study took place at the Center for Traumatic Stress Research in a midwestern city. The participants were 18-to 56-years-old and were all seeking treatment for symptoms related to childhood sexual abuse. The participants were 89 females who had survived CSA. Results of correlation analyses indicated that peritraumatic dissociation was most strongly related to all three types of symptom severity. Additional analyses revealed that women who experienced penile penetration, believed someone else would be killed, or were injured as a result of the abuse exhibited more severe peritraumatic dissociation. Regression analyses indicated that peritraumatic dissociation was the only variable that significantly predicted symptom severity across symptom type or disorder. Furthermore, different abuse characteristics predicted adult symptom severity and peritraumatic dissociation. The analysis concluded that the relationship between peritraumatic dissociation and adult symptomatology has two main clinical implications: (1) teaching engagement strategies to some survivors of CSA in hope of containing dissociative symptoms immediately following the abuse, and (2) the inclusion of exposure-based interventions in the treatment of some adult CSA survivors where indicated. Tables and 77 references (Author abstract modified)