Post-Traumatic Stress in Sexually Abused, Physically Abused, and Nonabused Children

• NCJ Number: 119533
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 13 Issue: 3 Dated: (1989) Pages: 403-408
• Author(s): E Deblinger; S McLeer; M Atkins; D Ralphe; E Foa
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at 21st Annual Convention of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Boston, November 14, 1987

Annotation

This investigation compared the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in sexually abused, physically abused, and nonabused psychiatrically hospitalized children matched by age, sex, and socioeconomic status.

Abstract

Of the sexually abused children, 20.7 percent met diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder compared to 6.9 percent of the physically abused and 10.3 percent of the nonabused children. These rates were not significantly different across the three groups, however, they were significantly high to suggest the need for more extensive study of post-traumatic stress during childhood. Significant symptom rate differences across groups were found with respect to specific post-traumatic stress symptoms. Sexually abused children exhibited significantly higher rates of inappropriate sexual behaviors than either the physically abused or nonabused children. Also, both the sexually abused and physically abused groups exhibited more avoidant/dissociative symptoms as compared to the nonabused children. Results are discussed in terms of clinical and research implications. 20 references. 2 tables. (Author abstract modified)