A treatment study for sexually abused preschool children: outcome during a one-year follow-up.
OBJECTIVE
Treatment outcome in sexually abused preschool children was evaluated 6 and 12 months after treatment.


METHODS
Forty-three sexually abused preschool children and their parents were evaluated 6 and 12 months after completion of either Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Sexually Abused Preschoolers (CBT-SAP) or nondirective supportive therapy (NST). Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist, Child Sexual Behavior inventory, and Weekly Behavior Report to measure a variety of symptoms in their children.


RESULTS
Repeated-measures analyses indicated that there were significant group by time interactions on several outcome measures from the beginning of the study to the end of the 12-month follow-up period, with the CBT-SAP group exhibiting significantly more improvement over time than the NST group. Clinical findings also indicated the superior effectiveness of CBT-SAP over NST in reducing sexually inappropriate behavior.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings support the superior efficacy of CBT-SAP over NST in maintaining symptom reduction in the year after treatment completion. The importance of using cognitive-behavioral interventions for sexually inappropriate behaviors and including nonoffending parents in the treatment of sexually abused preschool children is discussed.
Cohen
J A
JA
Department of Psychiatry, Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
Mannarino
A P
AP
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000628:therapy*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D009629:Person-Centered Psychotherapy / Q000592:standards*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome