Characteristics of sexual abuse associated with greater psychological impairment among children.
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.
Nash
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MR
College of Liberal Arts, Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville 37996-0900.
Zivney
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OA
Hulsey
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T
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