NCJ Number
202428
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 18 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2003 Pages: 295-300
Date Published
October 2003
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study sought to identify the specific types of perceived social support that buffer the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in victims of childhood sexual abuse (CSA).
Abstract
A total of 172 adult females who reported experiencing CSA were administered the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), which measures the perceived availability of four support types, and the Impact of Events Scale (IES), which measures core PTSD symptoms of intrusion and avoidance. For the ISEL, the "tangible" subscale measures the perceived availability of material aid; the "appraisal" subscale measures the perceived availability of someone to talk to about one's problems; the "self-esteem" subscale measures the perceived availability of a positive comparison when comparing one's self to others; and the "belonging" subscale measures the perceived availability of companions with whom one can enjoy activities. The study identified a specific combination of perceived support types that was most useful in preventing the development of PTSD in CSA survivors. The perception that others value the abused individual (self-esteem support), in addition to the perception that she had the ability to obtain advice when coping with problems (appraisal support), were inversely related to PTSD symptom levels. Further, the results supported the hypothesis that self-esteem support would prove to be the support type most strongly related to PTSD prevention. 1 table and 36 references