Psychometrics of a Child Report Measure of Maternal Support following Disclosure of Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT

The study examined a new child report measure of maternal support following child sexual abuse. One hundred and forty-six mother–child dyads presenting for a forensic evaluation completed assessments including standardized measures of adjustment. Child participants also responded to 32 items considered for inclusion in a new measure, the Maternal Support Questionnaire–Child Report (MSQ-CR). Exploratory factor analysis of the Maternal Support Questionnaire–Child Report resulted in a three factor, 20-item solution: Emotional Support (9 items), Skeptical Preoccupation (5 items), and Protection/Retaliation (6 items). Each factor demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Construct and concurrent validity of the new measure were supported in comparison to other trauma-specific measures. The Maternal Support Questionnaire–Child Report demonstrated sound psychometric properties. Future research is needed to determine whether the Maternal Support Questionnaire–Child Report provides a more sensitive approximation of maternal support following disclosure of sexual abuse, relative to measures of global parent–child relations and to contextualize discrepancies between mother and child ratings of maternal support.     

The relationship of child maltreatment and self-capacities with distress when telling one's story of childhood sexual abuse

This study examined the impact of telling one's story of childhood sexual abuse and its relationship with the survivor's self-capacities and history of other child maltreatment. The baseline data were collected from 134 female CSA survivors who were participating in a large intervention study. Participants were given 10 minutes to describe their childhood sexual abuse and completed a post-interview questionnaire assessing post-traumatic stress symptoms and their emotional response. The distress in response to their narrative was both predicted and mediated by the survivors' self-capacities and other forms of child maltreatment beyond child sexual abuse.     

The Relationship Between Perceptions of Response to Disclosure of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Later Outcomes

This study assessed whether perceptions of others’ reactions to disclosure are related to psychological and physical outcomes among individuals with a history of child sexual abuse. Eighty-six female undergraduates completed a series of questionnaires assessing child sexual abuse, nonsexual trauma, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, somatic symptoms, disclosure, and social reactions to disclosure. Those who reported child sexual abuse endorsed higher levels of psychological and physical symptoms than those who reported a nonsexual traumatic event. Child sexual abuse survivors who reported more hurtful responses to disclosure had higher levels of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and physical symptoms than nonsexual trauma survivors. These findings suggest that many survivors of CSA may need psychological services, and an important focus of treatment may be assessing and strengthening social support.     

Sexual Self-Concept and Sexually Abused Males: Early Data on the Development of a Scale

ABSTRACT

This article describes the early development and psychometric piloting of the Sexual Self-Concept Scale for Sexually Abused Males, a one-dimensional measure assessing the gender-based self-perceptions of males with histories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). A sample of 459 males with histories of CSA completed a demographic survey and responded to a pool of items using a Likert-type scale. Strong and promising evidence was rendered for face validity, content validity, convergent validity, criterion validity, discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, split-half reliability, internal consistency and item-total correlations. The scale may be used by helping professionals and clients to identify beliefs, emotions and behavior emanating from CSA with respect to gender-based sexual self-concept, design interventions to modify or ameliorate such effects, and to mark progress across phases of treatment.     

Trauma symptoms, sexual behaviors, and substance abuse: correlates of childhood sexual abuse and HIV risks among men who have sex with men

Childhood sexual abuse is associated with high-risk sexual behavior in men who have sex with men. This study examined psychological and behavioral correlates of HIV risk behavior associated with childhood sexual abuse in a sample of men who have sex with men. Men attending a large gay pride event (N = 647) completed anonymous surveys that assessed demographic characteristics, childhood sexual abuse history, symptoms of dissociation and trauma-related anxiety, borderline personality characteristics, substance use, and sexual risk behavior. Results indicated that men who have a history of childhood sexual abuse were more likely to: engage in high-risk sexual behavior (i.e., unprotected receptive anal intercourse), trade sex for money or drugs, report being HIV positive, and experience non-sexual relationship violence. Results of this study extend previous research to show that men who have sex with men and who have a history of child sexual abuse are more likely to be at high risk for HIV infection.     

Characteristics of Sexually Abused Children and Their Nonoffending Mothers Followed by Child Welfare Services: The Role of a Maternal History of Child Sexual Abuse

Considering the importance of mother’s support in the adaptation of a sexually abused child, it is relevant to determine if the mothers and children involved in an intergenerational cycle of child sexual victimization differ from dyads in which only the child has been abused. The purpose of this study was to compare mother–child dyads with sexually abused children according to whether the mother had herself been victim of child sexual abuse. The sample included 87 dyads with sexually abused children aged 3–18 years old and their mothers (44 reporting maternal and child abuse), followed by social welfare services of the province of Quebec (Canada). The two groups of mothers were compared on their past family abuse experiences and past family relations, their mental health history, their current psychological distress, their parenting behaviors, and their current levels of family functioning. Children were compared on their adaptation. Multivariate analyses indicated that mothers reporting child sexual abuse were more likely to report more other maltreatments in their childhood and greater prevalence of lifetime history of alcohol abuse disorders, dysthymia, and panic disorder compared with mothers who had not experienced CSA. Compared to children whose mothers had not experienced CSA, those whose mothers had experienced CSA showed higher rates of problems behaviors and were more likely to report having been sexually abused by a trusted person. These results highlight the specific clinical needs for the assessment and treatment for sexually abused children whose mothers experienced child sexual abuse.     

Childhood sexual abuse patterns, psychosocial correlates, and treatment outcomes among adults in drug abuse treatment

This study reports on the effects of having a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on treatment outcomes among substance abusing men and women (N = 2,434) in a national, multisite study of drug treatment outcomes. A history of CSA was reported by 27.2% of the women and 9.2% of the men. Controlling for gender, compared to patients without CSA, patients reporting CSA were younger at entry into the current drug treatment, were more likely to be White, were more likely to have a comorbid mental disorder, be alcohol or cocaine dependent, had higher levels of criminal activities, had a higher level of problem recognition, and had a more negative peer influence. Controlling for these correlates, a history of abuse was related to a lower likelihood of posttreatment abstinence.     

The Relationship between Social Dominance Orientation and Child Sexual Abuse Credibility Assessment

ABSTRACT

Allegations of child sexual abuse (CSA) across various contexts have often been denied or ignored by a multitude of people, including those who do not personally know the alleged perpetrators or victims. The lack of belief of children’s CSA reports is problematic, as this may affect the child’s adjustment, the consequences for the alleged perpetrator, and the likelihood of other victims reporting abuse that they experienced. One plausible explanation for low credibility is the variable of social dominance orientation. In the current study, a diverse sample (N = 60) read a hypothetical vignette of a CSA allegation, rated the credibility of the child, and completed the Social Dominance Orientation-7 scale (SDO-7). Results supported that high social dominance orientation predicts low credibility ratings of the child’s CSA allegation. Findings may impact how clinicians and investigators approach the assessment of credibility of CSA allegations, how they appraise the opinions of others about such credibility, and jury selection in the court system.     

Perceptions of child sexual abuse:victim and perpetrator characteristics, treatment efficacy, and lay vs. legal opinions of abuse

Two studies examined interactions between victim age and victim response, and victim relation to perpetrator and victim response influencing perceptions of child sexual abuse (CSA). Undergraduates read one of several vignettes describing a sexual encounter between a man and a girl. In Experiment 1, age of the girl was varied; victim age interacted with victim response to increase ratings of abuse and expected trauma for the girl. In Experiment 2, age was held constant while victim relation to perpetrator was varied; men gave higher ratings of abuse than did women for scenarios involving a step father rather than a neighbor, regardless of victim response. In both studies, psychotherapy was expected to help the victim more than the perpetrator and the law was judged to be less stringent than it is regarding CSA. Results suggest that perceptions of CSA are influenced by several factors and that laws regarding CSA may not be well understood.     

“From that Moment on My Life Changed”: Turning Points in the Healing Process for Men Recovering from Child Sexual Abuse

Recent research indicates that child sexual abuse often undermines the health of boys and men across the lifespan. However, some male survivors experience a turning point marking a positive change in their health trajectories and healing process. Although frequently discussed in reference to physical health problems or addictions, very little is known about turning points with respect to child sexual abuse for men. The purpose of this secondary qualitative analysis was to describe the different types of turning points experienced by male survivors who completed the 2010 Health and Well-Being Survey (N = 250). Using conventional content analysis, researchers identified seven types of turning points that were classified into three broad categories: influential relationships (professional and group support, personal relationships), insights and new meanings (cognitive realizations, necessity to change, spiritual transformation), and action-oriented communication (disclosure of CSA, pursuit of justice). Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.     

Factors related to childhood sexual abuse among gay/bisexual male Internet escorts

This exploratory investigation examined the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and related psychosocial characteristics and sexual behaviors among 46 gay/bisexual male escorts who advertise via the Internet. More than a quarter of men (28.3%) reported some history of CSA. Men reporting CSA were more likely to be from an ethnic minority group, identify as bisexual, have a primary male partner, and were less likely to identify an anal receptive ("bottom") sexual role preference. Men with a history of CSA were more likely to report unprotected sex with work-related partners, increased internalized homophobia, and decreased adolescent isolation. Interventions designed for male escorts with a history of CSA should emphasize safer sex strategies with work partners and reducing internalized homophobia.     

The Child Dissociative Checklist

This paper reports on the use of a screening instrument for dissociative behaviors in two separate, but related-studies. Study 1 examined the concurrent validity of the Child Dissociative Checklist (CDC) in a sample of children and adolescents for which no efforts were made to separate youngsters by history of abuse. Concurrent validity of the CDC was studied in relation to an accepted measure of general behavior problems, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results indicate significant, positive correlations between CDC raw scores and CBCL Externalizing (EXT), Internalizing (INT), and Total (TOT) T scores for males (p < .005). For females, the CDC correlated significantly and positively with CBCL INT (p < .05) and TOT T (p < .01) scores, but not with the EXT T score. Significant and positive correlations for males were obtained between all specific CBCL factors and the CDC (all p < .005). For females. CDC scores correlated significantly with specific internalizing factors purported to measure depression, immaturity, and anxiety (all p < .05). These findings are discussed in relation to issues of misdiagnosis and comorbidity. Study 2 found that parent-completed CDC scores differentiate between sexually abused inpatient children and those with no history of sexual abuse categorized into groups based on their responses to the Traumatic Antecedents Scale. Inpatient staff completed CDC ratings failed to differentiate between groups. Moreover, there was a negative, though nonsignificant, correlation between staff and parent CDC scores.     

The Relationship between a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Gender Role Attitudes

This study explored the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and gender role attitudes. Female university students rated themselves and their parents on gender role attitudes and history of childhood sexual abuse. Traditional participant gender role attitude and social isolation were associated with reporting being sexually abused as a child and may thus be risk factors for, or the result of a history of, CSA in women. Traditional participant gender role attitude and low income were associated with victim distress and therefore may be detrimental to coping with a history of childhood sexual abuse. Although replication of these results is needed, discovery of attitudinal and demographic variables associated with CSA may be important in the prevention and treatment of CSA.     

The Characteristics of Child Sexual Abuse in the School Environment in Turkey

School may represent a protective factor, boosting the mental health of the student body, while also representing a risk factor that heightens the potential for mental health problems. The present study aims to identify the individual and familial characteristics associated with the incidents of child sexual abuse (CSA) in Turkey’s school environment. The incidents involving school-related CSA constituted 5.6% (N = 125) of 2,238 cases. The following was discovered: an adult committed the majority (64%) of CSA in the school environment; most adult perpetrators were teachers (62.5%). This study determined that the perpetrators manipulated the victims via methods that included physical abuse (11.2%), threats (19.2%), tricks/deception (15.2%), and taking photographs/videos with sexual content (3.2%); and CSA incidents involved intercourse (15.2%); and almost three-quarter of the victims of CSA in the school environment reported the incident late. This study indicates that peer perpetrators abuse younger victims and a greater proportion of male victims relative to adult perpetrators. In light of these findings, school security must be improved, especially in public schools, and trainings aimed at preventing bullying and sexual abuse (SA) should be given to all school staff, students, and parents.     

Experimental avoidance and high-risk sexual behavior in survivors of child sexual abuse

While many long-term correlates of child sexual abuse (CSA) have been identified, theories to explain the development of these correlates have received little empirical validation. The process of experiential avoidance is one theory that has been proposed to account for many of the correlates of CSA. The purpose of the current study was twofold: (1) To attempt to develop a more complex measure of experiential avoidance in women with and without a CSA history, and (2) to explore variables related to two of the long-term correlates of CSA, general psychological distress and high risk sexual behavior. Levels of current distress, high-risk sex, and experiential avoidance were examined in 257 undergraduate females (mean age 20.0) using self-report questionnaires. The results of the current study indicate that CSA survivors report higher levels of experiential avoidance and high-risk sexual behavior with persons other than their primary partners. Implications of these findings for theory development, therapy with CSA survivors, and HIV prevention programs are discussed.     

The Impact of a History of Child Sexual Abuse on Maternal Response to Allegations of Sexual Abuse Concerning Her Child

Mothers exhibit a wide range of emotional responses to the discovery that their children may have been sexually abused. The clinical lore suggests that a personal history of child sexual abuse (CSA) may influence maternal reactions to such a discovery. Interestingly, however, while the impact of a history of CSA has been examined in many different populations, the impact of such a history has rarely been studied with respect to nonoffending mothers of CSA victims. The current investigation, therefore, aimed to compare nonoffending mothers with and without a history of CSA with respect to demographic variables, psychosocial functioning, and personal responses to the CSA allegations concerning their children. Nonoffending mothers with a history of CSA exhibited more general symptom distress as measured by the SCL-90-R and reported greater feelings of aloneness in facing the crisis of the CSA allegations. However, maternal history of CSA did not differentiate the groups with respect to demographic variables or maternal responses to the CSA allegations concerning their children. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Attributions of Blame among Victims of Child Sexual Abuse: Findings from a Community Sample

ABSTRACT

According to the attribution theory, negative outcomes of child sexual abuse (CSA) are thought to vary depending on whether CSA victims attribute the abuse to internal or external factors, respectively, self-blame and perpetrator-blame. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify abuse characteristics and attitudes that influence blame attributions among CSA victims from a community sample. Data from respondents with a history of CSA (N = 1,496) have been used in predicting blame attributions; perpetrator-blame, self-blame, or both. Results from a multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that attitudes toward gender roles had a significant effect on blame: victims were more likely to blame themselves when they endorsed more conservative gender attitudes than victims with more liberal attitudes. Implications for this finding are discussed.     

Prevalence of Sexual Trauma History Using Behaviorally Specific Methods of Assessment in First Year College Students

There are several challenges associated with evaluating the prevalence of sexual trauma, including child sexual abuse and adult sexual assault. The aim of this study was to assess sexual trauma prevalence rates among first year college students (N = 954) using behaviorally specific questions and a more representative recruitment sample that did not rely on self-selection. Participants completed a list of sexual trauma questions, including general questions containing labels such as “rape” or “abuse” as well as behaviorally specific questions that describe specific behaviors that qualify as sexual trauma without labels. Results indicated that 6.7% of the sample reported at least one incident of child sexual abuse, with similar rates for men and women. Women were more likely to report a history of adult sexual assault, which was reported by 12.4% of the total sample. Participants were also more likely to endorse a history of sexual trauma when answering behaviorally specific rather than general “label” questions. Women survivors in particular were more likely than men to identify their experiences as abuse/assault (66.7% versus 21.1% for child sexual abuse), which may help explain prevalence differences between men and women in prior research. Men may be less likely than women to label their experiences as abuse and may be underidentified in sexual trauma research without the use of behaviorally specific questions. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the prevalence of sexual trauma is better assessed using behaviorally specific questions and that this is an important topic of study among both men and women.     

Women's report of unwanted sexual attention during childhood

Unwanted Sexual Attention (UWSA) refers to unsolicited verbal comments, gestures, stares, and other non-physical attention toward another's sexuality and physical appearance. The present study describes the occurrence of childhood UWSA and explores its relation to child sexual abuse (CSA). Three hundred fifteen university women (mean age=19.5) completed the Exposure to Sexual Attention Scale, a 200-item inventory which assesses various forms of UWSA received prior to age 18. Findings suggested that non-contact UWSA is a pervasive experience across settings for girls, with 98.7% reporting UWSA during childhood. Those reported most often to perpetrate UWSA (e.g., other students, adult strangers, child strangers, and other children) were also most often reported as sexual abusers. Emotional reactions by women to both UWSA and CSA were predominantly negative. Although significantly greater levels of fear reactions were reported by the CSA group when compared to the UWSA group. No difference was found between the two groups on levels of anger reactions to UWSA and CSA. Overall findings suggest that UWSA is an almost universal experience for girls that causes significant anger and fear. Assessing UWSA will be important from a public health perspective in evaluating if such behaviors pose a risk factor for negative developmental outcomes for girls.     

A Critique of the Validity of Polygraph Testing in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

The present paper examines the problematic application of polygraph testing to child sexual abuse cases. Psychopysiological methods to assess the veracity of child sexual abuse allegations are being advocated despite a failure of empirical research to support the validity of polygraph testing and the absence of adequate validity studies for its application to child sexual abuse. The use of plygraph testing in child sexual abuse matters is especially problematic because of the nature of sexual abuse. Processes associated with the offender's perception of events, emotional arousal associated with investigations, and base rates of sexual abuse all suggest problems with the use of polygraph testing.