Association of Abuse-Related Symptoms and Style of Anger Expression for Female Survivors of Childhood Incest

• NCJ Number: 161934
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1996) Pages: 208-220
• Author(s): R I Scott; H D Day
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Presented at the annual convention of the Texas Psychological Association, November 1995 in San Antonio, Tex.

Annotation

This study examined the relationship between anger expression and symptom formation in adult female victims of childhood sexual abuse by using standardized measures of both of these variables.

Abstract

The hypothesis tested was that survivors who report higher levels of anger suppression would also report more symptoms that are commonly associated with such victimization. Thirty-two Caucasian adult female survivors of childhood incest participated in the study. They were administered the Responses to Childhood Incest Questionnaire (RCIQ), a self-report instrument that measures the degree to which adult survivors of childhood incest are affected by cognitive-affective themes and stress response themes that appear to be associated with sexual abuse trauma. They were also administered the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), which measures two conceptualized domains of anger: anger experience and anger expression. The participants reported higher levels of both experienced and expressed anger than comparable STAXI norms. The STAXI measure of inwardly directed anger was positively correlated with the total symptom score of the RCIQ and with 10 of the 11 RCIQ subscales. STAXI measures of outwardly directed anger and anger control were not correlated with the RCIQ. These findings are the first empirical evidence for an association between style of anger expression and the long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse. 4 tables and 45 references