NCJ Number
219766
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: 2007 Pages: 334-349
Date Published
2007
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study compared the effectiveness of open versus closed group intervention therapies for sexually abused adolescent girls.
Abstract
Results indicated that the participants in the open group therapy format showed significant improvement in comparison to the girls in the control group for the majority of the variables measured, including post-traumatic stress symptoms, behavioral problems, and coping strategies. On the other hand, the comparisons of the two formats of group interventions failed to produce statistically significant differences, suggesting that both open and closed group therapies are likely to be similarly effective for sexually abused adolescent girls. The authors note that the open group therapy model can require more intensive management from practitioners, and thus may require more physical and material resources than a closed group therapy model. Future research should explore the potential role of different characteristics of group intervention on possible outcomes. Participants were 55 girls recruited over a 3-year period from the Center for Sexual Abuse and the Family (CSAF), a community agency in Quebec. The participants took part in either open group treatment sessions (experimental group of 13 girls) or closed group treatment sessions (control group of 13 girls). A second experimental group of 29 girls participated in the same interventions as the first experimental group, but in a closed-group format. Participants completed questionnaires measuring demographic characteristics and abuse-related variables. Data were analyzed using analyses of covariance. Tables, note, references, appendix