Object Relations Disturbances in Sexually Abused Males

• NCJ Number: 208994
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 16 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2001 Pages: 851-864
• Author(s): Barbara Morrell; Matthew P. Mendel; Lane Fischer
• Date Published: September 2001
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This article is derived from the doctoral dissertaion of author Barbara Morrell.

Annotation

This study examined the relationship between object relations and child sexual abuse, physical abuse, and separation from parents in a clinical sample of 120 adult males with a history of sexual abuse, using the Bell Object Relations Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI).

Abstract

The BORRTI is a self-report inventory designed to measure the ego functions of object relations and reality testing. The alienation subscale measures a lack of trust in relationship; the insecure-attachment subscale measures a tendency to be sensitive to rejection and easily hurt by others; the egocentricity subscale measures a mistrust of others' motivations and a tendency to perceive the existence of others only in relation to self; and the social incompetence subscale measures shyness and uncertainty about how to interact with members of the opposite sex and difficulty in making friends. This study found significantly greater object-relations disturbances in the sample compared with the normative sample of the BORRTI, which parallels the findings on female survivors of child sexual abuse. This indicates that male survivors of child sexual abuse, like female survivors, tend to experience a basic lack of trust in relationships and difficulty with intimacy. The findings that severity, duration, and frequency of abuse predicted object-relations disturbances are also consistent with previous findings. Sexual abuse by a male was significantly associated with higher scores on all four subscales and was the strongest relative predictor of alienation and insecure attachment. Abuse by both male and female perpetrators was the strongest predictor of social incompetence. Egocentricity was predicted by stranger-perpetrated sexual abuse in combination with severity of abuse. Study limitations are noted, and recommendations for further research are offered. 4 tables and 27 references