Children's emotional and behavioral functioning following the disclosure of extrafamilial sexual abuse.
Creators: name: Ligezinska, Malgorzata.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1994
Subjects: subject: Psychology, Clinical.

description: The present investigation is a prospective follow-up cohort study of 47 children who experienced extrafamilial sexual abuse (ESA). The children were referred by several child protection agencies in the Ottawa-Carleton and southeastern region of Ontario between 1989 and 1992. All participants were assessed within the first three months post disclosure and six months later. The abuse of children ended within the year prior to the disclosure. A comparison group, matched on child's age, gender, and family constellation was recruited from the medical records of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario. The children were evaluated from three different perspectives: self-perceptions of emotional functioning, parental reports of behavioral functioning and teachers' evaluations of behavioral functioning. Standardized measures of depression, self-concept, anxiety, general and abuse related fears, and social functioning were used. The results of multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVAs), conducted to control for the variability in children's intellectual functioning and family socioeconomic status, revealed that, in comparison to non-abused children, children in the sexually abused group reported more symptoms of depression and fearfulness, were evaluated by the parents as exhibiting more externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and evaluated by the teachers as showing more externalizing difficulties. These problematic behaviors were present within the first three months post disclosure and at the sixth-month follow-up. No significant group differences were revealed on the social self-efficacy measure at either assessment time, and self-reports of fearfulness did not differentiate between the groups at the follow-up assessment. As a group, the sexually abused children reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress at both assessments. The results of standard regression analyses revealed, that among the sexually abused children, elevated levels of post-traumatic symptomatology, feelings of guilt and blame for the abuse were predictive of the children's self-reports of emotional functioning. These variables were not predictive of either the parental or teachers' reports. The objective aspects of the abusive experience and the demographic characteristics of the sexually abused group did not predict significantly the children's functioning, except for the gender of the child which was predictive of fearfulness. The discussion of the results points to the importance of utilizing multidimensional assessments conducted from different perspectives. The need to evaluate in a consistent way the children's own perceptions of abusive experiences is underscored. A specific emphasis is placed on the evaluation of perceived self-blame and guilt, perception of social supports and reports of intrusive thinking, avoidant behavior, and anxiety related to sexuality. Implications for therapeutic interventions are noted. The limitations of the study and suggestions for further research are discussed. Finally, the advantages of working within a comprehensive theoretical model are presented.