NCJ Number
160274
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 19 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1995) Pages: 1469-1481
Date Published
1995
Length
13 pages
Annotation
A survey that received responses from 1,810 adult Catholics in the United States and Canada sought to determine the effects of child sexual abuse by priests and other perpetrators on victims' trust in the Catholic Church, the priesthood, and their relationships to God.
Abstract
The participants were on a mailing list of Catholic adults who were active in the practice of their religious faith. The results revealed that 1,376 reported no childhood sexual abuse, 307 had been sexually abused as children but not by a priest, and 40 had been sexually abused by priests. Analyses of variance revealed that the levels of trust designed significantly from those who had not been abused to those who were abused by a priest. The group who had been abused but not by a priest had slightly less trust than those who had not been abused. The 347 abuse victims were then grouped according to whether they had received psychotherapy. The 152 members of the treatment group reported significantly less trust in the priesthood, the church, and their relationship to God than did the no- treatment group. Findings highlighted the possible spiritual damage caused by child sexual abuse, particularly if the perpetrator was a religious leader, and supported the need to assess the religious impact of the abuse and include a process of spiritual healing. Tables, figure, and 24 references (Author abstract modified)