The Interplay Between Childhood Sexual Abuse, Self-Concept Clarity, and Dissociation: A Resilience-Based Perspective

BACKGROUND: Despite a robust consensus regarding the potentially negative implications of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), research investigating risk and protective factors-particularly among well-functioning young adults-is scant. Dissociation is one of the major maladaptive outcomes of CSA. Nevertheless, CSA explains only about 10% of the variance of dissociation. Possibly, this modest effect size is due to protective factors moderating the relation between CSA and dissociative symptoms. One such factor may be the extent to which one has succeeded in developing a clear and coherent sense of who they are. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore whether self-concept clarity (SCC) moderates the relationship between CSA and dissociation (Model 1), and an alternative hypothesis, whereby CSA may moderate the relationship between SCC and dissociation (Model 2). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: This was tested among 65 well-functioning young women drawn from an earlier study that intentionally oversampled CSA survivors. METHODS: We included data from survivors of CSA by a known perpetrator (n = 35) and women with no sexual trauma (n = 30). RESULTS: Findings were consistent with both Model 1 and Model 2, but only when depersonalization-derealization, namely detachment, was considered. Simple effects analyses revealed that CSA was related to depersonalization-derealization only under low SCC levels (Model 1), and SCC was negatively related to depersonalization-derealization only in the CSA group (Model 2). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that SCC is a protective factor, buffering the association between CSA and detachment (depersonalization-derealization) symptoms. Clinical implications are discussed

What helps the helpers? Resilience and risk factors for general and profession-specific mental health problems in psychotherapists during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Although the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected wellbeing of at-risk groups, most research on resilience employed convenience samples. We investigated psychosocial resilience and risk factors (RFs) for the wellbeing of psychotherapists and other mental health practitioners, an under-researched population that provides essential support for other at-risk groups and was uniquely burdened by the pandemic. Method: We examined 18 psychosocial factors for their association with resilience, of which four were chosen due to their likely relevance specifically for therapists, in a cross-sectional multi-national sample (N=569) surveyed between June and September 2020. Resilience was operationalized dimensionally and outcome-based as lower stressor reactivity (SR), meaning fewer mental health problems than predicted given a participant’s levels of stressor exposure. General SR (SRG) scores expressed reactivity in terms of general internalizing problems, while profession-specific SR (SRS) scores expressed reactivity in terms of burnout and secondary trauma, typical problems of mental health practitioners. Results: Factors previously identified as RFs in other populations, including perceived social support, optimism and self-compassion, were almost all significant in the study population (SRG: 18/18 RFs, absolute βs=.16-.40; SRS: 15/18 RFs, absolute βs=.19-.39 all Ps <.001). Compassion satisfaction emerged as uniquely relevant for mental health practitioners in regularized regression. Discussion: Our work identifies psychosocial RFs for mental health practitioners’ wellbeing during crisis. Most identified factors are general, in that they are associated with resilience to a wider range of mental health problems, and global, in that they have also been observed in other populations and stressor constellations

What helps the helpers? Resilience and risk factors for general and profession-specific mental health problems in psychotherapists during the COVID-19 pandemic

IntroductionAlthough the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected wellbeing of at-risk groups, most research on resilience employed convenience samples. We investigated psychosocial resilience and risk factors (RFs) for the wellbeing of psychotherapists and other mental health practitioners, an under-researched population that provides essential support for other at-risk groups and was uniquely burdened by the pandemic.MethodWe examined 18 psychosocial factors for their association with resilience, of which four were chosen due to their likely relevance specifically for therapists, in a cross-sectional multi-national sample (N = 569) surveyed between June and September 2020. Resilience was operationalized dimensionally and outcome-based as lower stressor reactivity (SR), meaning fewer mental health problems than predicted given a participant’s levels of stressor exposure. General SR (SRG) scores expressed reactivity in terms of general internalizing problems, while profession-specific SR (SRS) scores expressed reactivity in terms of burnout and secondary trauma, typical problems of mental health practitioners.ResultsFactors previously identified as RFs in other populations, including perceived social support, optimism and self-compassion, were almost all significant in the study population (SRG: 18/18 RFs, absolute βs = 0.16–0.40; SRS: 15/18 RFs, absolute βs = 0.19–0.39 all Ps &lt; 0.001). Compassion satisfaction emerged as uniquely relevant for mental health practitioners in regularized regression.DiscussionOur work identifies psychosocial RFs for mental health practitioners’ wellbeing during crisis. Most identified factors are general, in that they are associated with resilience to a wider range of mental health problems, and global, in that they have also been observed in other populations and stressor constellations

Lover, Mentor, or Exploiter: Retrospective Perspectives of the Older Person Following Sexual Relationships with Adults During Adolescence

Sexual relationships between an adolescent and an older person are considered controversial and in many countries are conceptualized under the legal definition of statutory relationship/rape. Despite the consensus regarding their potential negative implications, little is known about how adolescents perceive and construct them. To address this lacuna, the current exploratory study examined how individuals who have experienced sexual relationships with an adult while growing up perceived the older person and the meaning they ascribed to the age gap (M age gap, 7.78 years; range, 2–18 years). A qualitative thematic methodology was incorporated in analyzing in-depth semi-structured interviews with 28 individuals (M age, 29.89 years) who had experienced sexual relationships with an (at least 2 years) older person during adolescence (M age, 14.78 years). Participants described five different perceptions of the older persons: romantic partner; sexual partner; authority figure; complex/unstable figure; and exploiter. Subsequent analysis, focusing on the role participants assigned to age when describing these different images of older persons, shed additional light on their subjective perceptions; namely, for each image, age had a particular meaning. This paper may contribute to the understanding of individuals’ experiences of sexual relationships with an older person by emphasizing the complexity of such relationships, as reflected in the participants’ construction of the older person’s image, potentially providing important information that can inform best practice for professionals working with this population. Findings highlight the need to address diversity and ambiguity rather than the uniform dichotomy that characterizes the legal framing of automatically constructing these relationships as statutory. Further implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed