NCJ Number
129334
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: (1991) Pages: 293-305
Date Published
1991
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Based on a cognitive-behavioral approach that people use different coping methods to manage stressful situations, this study examines the factors that lead to better or worse adjustment among female adolescent incest victims. The study predicted that girls who experienced the most severe abuse and more associated stressors, who appraised the abuse as more threatening, and who felt in least control of the situation would experience greater distress.
Abstract
The sample of 45 victims in treatment, 82 percent of whom had been molested by a father figure, completed questionnaires on their current adjustment, characteristics of their abuse, their perceptions of abuse-related stressors, and their coping strategies. The findings show a clear relationship between the victim's appraisal of the situation and coping strategies and her psychological adjustment. The coping strategies of wishful thinking and stress reduction, the lack of maternal support, and appraisals of threat and "holding self back" accounted for 70 percent of the variance in distress. Detachment, seeking out social support, and appraisal of "holding self back" accounted for 38 percent of the variance in the victims' global psychopathology. The authors emphasize the need to address appraisals and coping efforts both in therapy and in research. 2 tables and 47 references (Author abstract modified)