NCJ Number
170472
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 21 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1997) Pages: 1095-1107
Date Published
1997
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study, a secondary analysis of archival data, examines the impact of a history of child sexual abuse and the quality of family relationship on the parenting of a sample of low-income mothers.
Abstract
While child sexual abuse and its negative effects have been of increasing interest to researchers and practitioners, more empirical focus has been given to measuring mental health consequences rather than other areas of life functioning such as parenting. Furthermore, recent questions have been raised about whether documented negative effects of abuse stem from the abuse itself or the more general negative family environment which often accompanies it. This study examines the impact of a history of child sexual abuse and more general family relationship quality on the parenting of a sample of low-income mothers. Parenting was assessed using measures such as frequency of worry about child problems, views of self as a parent, and how child discipline problems were handled. Findings indicate that sexual abuse may be a risk factor for more negative views of self as a parent beyond differences between abused and nonabused samples in more general assessments of family-of-origin quality. Tables, references