NCJ Number
171530
Journal
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry Volume: 66 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1996) Pages: 463-467
Date Published
1996
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This study examines symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in mothers whose children were seen subsequent to alleged sexual abuse.
Abstract
The study found stress symptoms among the women following the reports of sexual abuse of their children. Mothers who had themselves been sexually abused as children exhibited significantly more stress symptoms. While the results of this study appear to support expectations, there are substantial limitations on the generalizability of the findings, including the small sample size, the possibility of statistical error, the possibility that some women's other experiences could have contributed to the development of PTSD, and the possibility that PTSD findings are related to symptomatology that dates back to a mother's own victimization. Limitations notwithstanding, the findings suggest that clinicians should be alert to the possibility that mothers may experience some PTSD-like symptoms in response to a child's sexual abuse. Professionals working with sexually abused children should have available clinical and psychopharmacologic protocols to address the predictable symptomatic responses of the mothers of their patients. Note, tables, references