Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 58
Child sexual abuse and psychological impairment in victims: results of an online study initiated by victims
- Authors:
- SCHAEFER Gerard A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 21(3), 2012, pp.343-360.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Research in the area of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been rarely initiated, conceptualised, and conducted by victims themselves. This article describes a study conducted by the German victim-run support group MOGiS e.V. in order to add victims' perspectives to understanding of this topic. An aim of the study was to investigate how being affected by CSA directly or indirectly influences estimates of the prevalence of CSA. Another aim of was to determine the magnitude of symptoms of impaired psychosocial functioning among CSA victims. An online survey was completed by 502 participants over the period October 2009 to March 2010. The article reports on the: characteristics of victims of CSA; age at victimisation; nature of CSA; nonsexual abuse; perpetrator gender and age; perpetrator-victim relationship; legal action; feelings of guilt; and psychosocial impairment. The findings showed extensive impaired psychosocial functioning among CSA victims with a significant relationship between the severity of the experienced offense and the number of reported symptoms of psychosocial impairment. With respect to estimating the prevalence of CSA, affected participants estimated significantly higher rates compared to nonaffected participants. The results indicate that an intact social support system facilitates better health, especially when offered early on.
Childhood sexual abuse in adolescents adjudicated for sexual offenses: mental health consequences and sexual offending behaviors
- Authors:
- MORAIS Hugo B., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Sexual Abuse a Journal of Research and Treatment, 30(1), 2018, pp.23-42.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The current study examined the effects of child sexua abuse (CSA) on 498 male adolescents adjudicated for sexual offences who represent the small portion of CSA survivors who engage in sexual offences. The prevalence of internalising symptoms, parental attachment difficulties, specific sexual offending behaviours, and risk for sexually offending were compared among participants with and without a history of CSA. Results indicated that participants with a history of CSA were more likely to be diagnosed with major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder than those who did not report a history of CSA. A history of CSA was also positively correlated with risk for sexually offending and with specific offense patterns and consensual sexual behaviours. No significant differences emerged on parental attachment difficulties. These results highlight that adolescents adjudicated for sexual offences with a history of CSA present with differences in sexual and psychological functioning as well as markedly different offending patterns when compared with those without a CSA history. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. (Edited publisher abstract)
Suicide attempts among men with histories of child sexual abuse: examining abuse severity, mental health, and masculine norms
- Authors:
- EASTON Scott D., RENNER Lynette M., O'LEARY Patrick
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 37(6), 2013, pp.380-387.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Survey data gathered from a purposive sample of 487 men who were sexually abused during childhood were used to examine the relationship between abuse severity, mental health, masculine norms and recent suicide . The age of the sample ranged from 19 to 84 years. Recent suicide attempts served as the dependent variable in the study. Self-reported measures of sexual abuse severity, child physical abuse, mental health, masculine norms, and demographic information (age, race) represented the independent variables. The results from logistic regression modeling found that five variables – duration of the sexual abuse, use of force during the sexual abuse, high conformity to masculine norms, level of depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation – increased the odds of a suicide attempt in the past 12 months. To improve mental health services for men with histories of child sexual abuse, mental health practitioners should incorporate sexual abuse severity, current mental health, and adherence to masculine norms into assessment and treatment planning. (Edited publisher abstract)
Characteristics of childhood sexual abuse in lesbians and heterosexual women
- Authors:
- WILSNACK Sharon C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 36(3), 2012, pp.260-265.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Drawing on data from the 2001 US National Study of Health and Life Experiences of Women and the 2001 Chicago Life Experiences of Women study (both longitudinal studies), researchers investigated whether lesbians report more severe childhood sexual abuse than heterosexual women. Data in both of the studies came from face-to-face interviews conducted by trained female interviewers. The article briefly describes the background to the study and its methodology and results. It reports on findings, covering demographic characteristics, childhood sexual abuse prevalence and severity, perpetrators, and self-perceived childhood sexual abuse. It concludes that the findings suggest that childhood sexual abuse is not only more prevalent among lesbians than among heterosexual women, but also more severe, and notes that these factors may contribute to lesbians' increased risk of depression, psychological distress and substance abuse.
Tonic immobility in childhood sexual abuse survivors and its relationship to posttraumatic stress symptomatology
- Author:
- HUMPHREYS Kathryn L.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(2), February 2010, pp.358-373.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Although research has thus far focused on the role of peritraumatic dissociation and fear in the development of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), research has also shown that another set of peritraumatic responses may be related to PTSD. Past research shows that 37% to 52% of sexual assault survivors reported experiencing a set of peritraumatic responses, which include gross motor inhibition, analgesia, and fixed or unfocused staring - a response set closely resembling a set of unconditioned responses, collectively known as Tonic Immobility (TI). This study examined TI among childhood sexual abuse survivors and its relationship to PTSD symptomatology. 131 female college undergraduates participated in a questionnaire assessing their sexual abuse history, TI, and PTSD symptom severity. Results showed that TI partially mediated the relationship between peritraumatic fear and overall PTSD severity and completely mediated the relation between fear and the PTSD symptoms. Although peritraumatic fear is associated with TI, the mediation findings provided evidence for the perception that these responses are separate from one another. These results suggest that TI during childhood sexual abuse may play an important role in the subsequent PTSD symptomatology in adulthood. The authors conclude that the relationships discovered may provide useful information for therapists working with sexual abuse victims, leading to the inclusion of TI assessment as part of the clinical process.
Three types of memory for childhood sexual abuse: relationships to characteristics of abuse and psychological symptoms
- Author:
- CROWLEY M. Sue
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 17(1), 2008, pp.71-88.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Data from a sample of 88 women reporting relatively severe childhood sexual abuse are compared by types of memory, abuse characteristics and psychological symptoms. Three types of memory were identified: Always (i.e. had always remembered); Recovered; and Both. When compared with narrative reports from a sub-sect (30) of the sample, the lines between these three types of memory were ambiguous, although consistency across reports was 83%. Memories classified as Recovered or Both were associated with an earlier age at onset and more severe psychological symptoms than those who Always remembered their abuse. The implications for future research and for clinical practice are briefly discussed. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
The relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult mental health among undergraduates
- Authors:
- YOUNG Scott M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(10), October 2007, pp.1315-1331.
- Publisher:
- Sage
A large body of research has documented the harmful effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on adult mental health among females, but less work has examined this issue among males. This study examined whether gender moderated the relationship between CSA and adult mental health among a mixed-gender sample of 406 undergraduates. A Pearson chi-square test indicated that a significantly greater proportion of females (41.6%) than males (30.7%) reported a history of CSA. ANCOVAs tested whether gender, CSA status, and their interaction were related to adult mental health symptomatology as measured by Brief Symptom Inventory gender-normed t scores. Participants with a history of CSA reported significantly higher levels of global mental health problems, hostility, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism. The gender by CSA status interaction was not significant for any scale, indicating that the harmful effects of CSA on adult mental health did not vary by gender.
Psychological defense styles, childhood adversities and psychopathology in adulthood
- Authors:
- NICKEL R., EGLE U.T.
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 30(2), February 2006, pp.157-170.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The present study explores the link between reported sexual and/or physical abuse and psychological defence styles, as well as the association of both with psychological distress in adulthood. In two patient samples that differ in psychological distress and somatization, the authors examine whether the adversities reported and immature defence styles are associated with psychopathological symptoms. Two hundred and sixty six consecutive inpatients in the psychosomatic department and 109 consecutive inpatients who had been treated for low-back pain in the orthopaedic department of a German university hospital were examined. Psychological defence styles were assessed by a two-factor solution of the German modified adaptation of the Defense Mechanism Inventory (DMI), childhood adversities by a structured interview, psychological distress by the SCL-90-R, and somatization by the Screening for Somatoform Disorders (SOMS). Both samples demonstrated a significant link between immature defence styles and the extent of overall psychological distress as well as somatization. Reported sexual and/or physical abuse of patients in both patient samples was directly associated with somatization. It is concluded that recollections of sexual and/or physical abuse in childhood and immature defence styles have an association with psychopathology in adulthood. This finding suggests that immature defence styles may act, in part, as mediators between the adversities investigated and adult psychopathology.
Childhood sexual abuse, social support, and psychological outcomes: a loss framework
- Authors:
- MURTHI Meera, ESPELAGE Dorothy L.
- Journal article citation:
- Child Abuse and Neglect, 29(11), November 2005, pp.1215-1231.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The objectives of the study were: (a) to develop a scale to assess Childhood sexual abuse (CSA)related loss among a college sample of CSA survivors (CSALM), (b) to examine the measure's convergent validity through associations among depression, alexithymia, coping, and social support, and (c) to test whether social support moderates the relation between multiple experiences of CSA and loss. The study involved a survey methodology and included 116 college-age women reporting CSA experiences. Based on the Sexual Victimization Questionnaire, 90% of the sample reported CSA before age of 12, 12.3% reported CSA before age 12 with an adult over 16, and 42.2% reported CSA after age 12 with an adult. Exploratory Factor Analysis of the CSALM revealed a three-factor solution: (a) Loss of Optimism, (b) Loss of Self, and (c) Loss of Childhood. Convergent validity of several scales was evidenced through associations with depression, alexithymia, coping, and social support. Social support from family and friends was found to moderate the association between CSA experiences and loss dimensions. Findings provide preliminary psychometric support for the CSALM, a tool that will be useful in future investigations of loss among college-age CSA survivors. Findings also support using a loss framework to understand the current mental health of these survivors.
Childhood sexual abuse and psychosomatic symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome
- Author:
- ROSS Colin A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 14(1), 2005, pp.27-38.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Irritable bowel syndrome is characterized by chronic gastrointestinal symptoms without a demonstrable physical cause. In a subgroup of patients, irritable bowel syndrome may be part of a cluster of psychosomatic symptoms related to childhood sexual abuse. To investigate this possibility, the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS), the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) were administered to 105 subjects with either irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis), or other gastrointestinal disorders. The subjects in the three groups did not differ on the DES, the SCL-90 or most sections of the DDIS. However, subjects with irritable bowel syndrome reported much higher rates of childhood sexual abuse and psychosomatic symptoms.