NCJ Number
238101
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2012 Pages: 53-63
Date Published
January 2012
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study explored the processes, moderators, and mechanisms that can predict resilience in sexually abused adolescents.
Abstract
The study found that in a sample of sexually abused adolescents ages 11 to 16, the factors that best predicted resilience were higher levels of school engagement, caregiver social support, hope and expectancy, higher levels of caregiver education, and higher socioeconomic status. The study also found that factors involving the nature of the abuse: prior abuse history, type of sexual activity, and role of the perpetrator, also contributed to the prediction of resilience. The only contextual variable that did not affect prediction was time since the abuse. This study explored the process and contextual variables that can predict resilience in sexually abused adolescents. The sample of sexually abused adolescents ages 11-16 (n=237) was obtained from archived data from the first wave of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. The analysis measured the degree of resilience, defined as absence of psychological symptoms, among the adolescents. Hierarchical regression was used to determine which variables would significantly predict general distress and behavior problems among sexually abused adolescents. The study findings indicate that contextual variables are as important as process variables in predicting resilience in sexually abused adolescents, and interventions and treatment plans that focus on these variables may improve post-abuse behavioral outcomes for these adolescents. Tables and references