Predicting the Willingness to Disclose Childhood Sexual Abuse From Measures of Repressive Coping and Dissociative Tendencies

• NCJ Number: 202592
• Journal: Child Maltreatment Volume: 8 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2003 Pages: 302-318
• Author(s): George A. Bonanno; Jennie G. Noll; Frank W. Putnam; Michelle O'Neill; Penelope K. Trickett
• Date Published: November 2003
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH 48330; 90-CA-1549
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services; National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses voluntary disclosure and the avoidance of disclosure of child sexual abuse and examines the personality correlates associated with these behaviors.

Abstract

Although verbal disclosure of past childhood sexual abuse (CSA) experiences can be beneficial, CSA survivors are often reluctant to reveal such experiences. Women with documented CSA histories that did not disclose abuse when provided the opportunity were more likely to show nonverbal expressions of shame and polite smiling. In contrast, disclosing CSA survivors showed greater facial expressions of disgust. This study measured repressive and dissociative tendencies among adolescent and young adult survivors of CSA with three aims in mind. The first aim was to examine repressive coping and chronic dissociative experiences as predictors of whether CSA survivors would disclose a past abuse experience in the voluntary disclosure task. The second aim was to examine how the repressive and dissociative tendencies related to each other and to the facial expression data. The third aim was to examine the relationship of repressive and dissociative tendencies to broader measures of adjustment. Participants were part of an ongoing longitudinal study of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse that began in 1987. Results showed that CSA disclosure was associated with chronic dissociative experiences, whereas nondisclosure was associated with repressive coping. Repressive coping and dissociative experiences were inversely related and showed opposite patterns of facial expressions and adjustment. Repressors expressed greater negative and positive emotion and were relatively better adjusted, whereas dissociators expressed little emotion and had relatively poorer adjustment. These findings suggest two implications for clinical interventions with CSA survivors. The first is that particular attention should be paid to the potential development of psychopathology among CSA survivors that endorse chronic dissociative experiences. The second is that repressive copers may not require a detailed review of their traumatic experiences to benefit from treatment. 1 figure, 4 tables, 1 note, 89 references