NCJ Number
146939
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1994) Pages: 37- 50
Date Published
1994
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and selected victim and event characteristics using a sample of 69 girls and 21 boys (mean age 12.4 years) who had been referred to a child witness preparation program following documentation of sexual abuse.
Abstract
The children were part of a larger study of ways to reduce system-induced trauma for child abuse victims through assessment, court preparation, and followup. The child witness project received most of its referrals from police officers. A checklist of PTSD-related symptoms was used to evaluate the children. Comparison data for 44 children in the PTSD-positive subgroup and 46 children in the PTSD- negative subgroup revealed significant differences on variables of age, sex, duration of abuse, and offender use of violence or coercion. A comparison of psychological test data indicated that the PTSD-positive subgroup differed significantly from the PTSD-negative subgroup on the basis of children's abuse-related fears, anxiety, depression, and feelings of abuse-related guilt. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that factors associated with abuse severity and children's self-reports of guilt explained 37 percent of variance in PTSD symptoms, even after controlling for receptive language ability, age, and sex variables. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 78.4 percent of respondents. The importance of considering PTSD in child sexual abuse cases and the current study's limitations are discussed. 45 references and 5 tables