title: Characteristics of sexual abuse associated with greater psychological impairment among children.
abstract: The psychiatric histories and projective test responses of 102 sexually abused girls (ages 5 to 16) were examined to determine if some particular characteristics of sexual abuse were reliably associated with more serious impairment. Characteristics of abuse significantly associated with greater psychological disturbance were: more than one perpetrator, an early age of abuse onset (before age 7 or 8), and periods of intense and frequent abuse episodes (more than 3 or 4 times per month). What enhanced the child's capacity to recover was the presence of a relatively stable two-parent household. Implications for prognosis and treatment are discussed.
authors.affiliation: College of Liberal Arts, Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville 37996-0900.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Nash
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Zivney
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hulsey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D012392:Rorschach Test; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D013714:Tennessee; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology