Treating Sexually Abused Children with Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms: A Randomized Clinical Trial

• NCJ Number: 185707
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Volume: 39 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2000 Pages: 1347-1355
• Author(s): Neville J. King; Bruce J. Tonge; Paul Mullen; Nicole Myerson; David Heyne; Stephanie Rollings; Rosemary Martin; Thomas H. Ollendick
• Date Published: November 2000
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): 950741
• Sponsoring Agency: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study evaluates the efficacy of child and caregiver participation in the cognitive-behavioral treatment of sexually abused children with posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Abstract

Thirty-six sexually abused children (aged 5-17 years) were randomly assigned to a child-alone cognitive-behavioral treatment condition, a family cognitive-behavioral treatment condition, or a waiting-list control condition. All children and parents underwent separate semi-structured diagnostic interviews. Compared with controls, children who received treatment exhibited significant improvement in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and self-reports of fear and anxiety. Significant improvement also occurred in relation to parent-completed measures and clinician ratings of global functioning. In general, parental involvement did not improve the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Maintenance of improvement was evident at a 12-week follow-up assessment. The study concludes that cognitive-behavioral treatment was useful, but further research is required on caregiver involvement. Tables, references