[A model of the effects of child sexual abuse on post-traumatic stress: the mediating role of attributions of blame and avoidance coping].
Employing structural equation modeling, the direct and indirect effects of the severity of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), attributions of blame for the abuse, and coping strategies on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology are analyzed. The effects of other types of child maltreatment on PTSD were also controlled. The sample comprised 163 female college students who were victims of CSA. The results suggested that victims of more severe abuse showed higher levels of avoidant coping, self blame, and family blame. Having suffered other kinds of abuse or neglect was also related to higher family blame attributions. Lastly, both attributions of blame scales were indirectly related to PTSD symptomatology through avoidant coping. The strong relationships between attributions of blame, coping strategies, and PTSD suggest that it might be useful to intervene early with children who have suffered CSA in an effort to modify the attributions they make about the abuse and the way they cope with it.
Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain. davidc@ugr.es
David
D
Cantón-Cortés
José
J
Cantón
Fernando
F
Justicia
María Rosario
MR
Cortés
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010290:Parents; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012938:Social Perception; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult