ABSTRACT
Adult female sexual abuse survivors (N = 148) participated in year-long therapy groups. Demographic, abuse history, initial symptomatology, and group process variables were examined in relationship to group completion and improvement over time. Survivors who had previously been psychiatrically hospitalized were less likely to complete group treatment. Among group completers, significant pretreatment-posttreatment changes were found on measures of locus of control, sexual problems, self-esteem, trauma-related symptomatology (TSC-33), and general psychological distress (SCL-90-R). Greater changes on the SCL-90-R were found among Caucasian women, women with more initial trauma-related symptomatology, women whose abuse included intercourse, members of groups with similar abuse histories, and women with previous psychotherapy experience.
Subject(s)
Child Abuse, Sexual/therapy , Psychotherapy, Group , Adolescent , Adult , Analysis of Variance , Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Because of the high incidence and negative psychological consequences of child sexual abuse, prevention programs have been developed and implemented nationwide. Few programs, however, have been comprehensively evaluated. In this multimodal study, a 3-session adaptation of the Feeling Yes, Feeling No curriculum was provided to 286 third and fourth graders from four schools whose responses were compared to 113 delayed-treatment control children from two schools. Program impact was assessed using a knowledge scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children, a videotape vignettes measure, a parent questionnaire, and disclosure data. Treatment children exhibited significantly greater knowledge and better ability to discriminate safe from unsafe situations on the video measure than control children at posttesting. These gains were maintained at 6-week follow-up testing. There were no differences in treatment and control children's self-reported anxiety or parents' reports of negative emotional/behavioral consequences, which were minimal. Over 5% of participating children reported ongoing or past sexual abuse. In the One-Year Follow-Up Study, children's knowledge gains and prevention skills scores on the video measure were maintained at one-year follow-up. A 1-session "booster shot" program further enhanced children's safety discrimination skills on the video measure.
Subject(s)
Child Abuse, Sexual/prevention & control , Health Education/methods , Sex Education/methods , Adaptation, Psychological , Child , Child Abuse, Sexual/psychology , Curriculum , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Personality Inventory , SafetyABSTRACT
Psychosocial aspects of asthma were studied by administering questionnaires to 80 children with asthma and their parents. Overall, children demonstrated high levels of knowledge about asthma, an internal health locus of control, and positive self-concepts. Increased knowledge was associated with more internal health locus of control scores, whereas more positive self-concept scores were associated with more adaptive asthma-related behavior. Children who attended a week-long camp did not differ significantly from comparison children on these measures.
