NCJ Number
171164
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Dated: (Summer 1997) Pages: 137-145
Date Published
1997
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the relationship between a child victim's inability to disclose fully an experience of sexual abuse and subsequent traumatic symptomatology.
Abstract
Previous research has yielded equivocal results regarding whether or not the disclosure of child sexual abuse by the victim is helpful to the victim. The threat of harm as well as the possibility of being humiliated, not believed, or blamed render the disclosure of child sexual abuse difficult for some victims. On the other hand, the suppression of traumatic events has been linked to negative health effects. In an effort to examine this issue, the current study administered questionnaires to 204 young-adult victims of child sexual abuse. A person was included in the study if she answered "yes" to at least one of the sexual abuse questions on the Childhood Sexual Experiences Questionnaire. "Child sexual abuse" was defined in the study as any type of sexual physical contact that occurred before the age of 15 by someone at least 5 years older. In addition to the Child Sexual Experiences Questionnaire, the questionnaires administered to participants included the Trauma Symptom Checklist 40 and the Parental Support Scale. Multiple regression analyses were performed by using traumatic symptomatology as the dependent variable. The extent to which a victim wanted to tell about the abuse but held back from doing so and the severity of the abuse were related to adult symptomatology. Findings suggest that victims who suffer more severe abuse are more likely to refrain from fully disclosing the abuse, which is associated with more trauma-related symptoms. 3 tables and 19 references