Childhood Sexual and Physical Abuse and Adult Vulnerability to PTSD: The Mediating Effects of Attachment and Dissociation

Two hundred and eighty-four adults from the metropolitan New York area reported on their history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), childhood physical abuse (CPA), and on the nature of their exposure to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The respondents also completed the Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). Those reporting histories of CSA and/or CPA were found to endorse more serious symptoms of PTSD, as did those who witnessed the terrorist attack live. The presence of secure attachments and dissociative symptoms were related significantly to both CSA and CPA, and to scores on the IES-R. Adult attachment and dissociation were found to mediate the relationship between childhood abuse and severity of PTSD

Attitudes Toward Victims of Child Sexual Abuse Among Adults from Four Ethnic/Cultural Groups

Attitudes toward a teen victim of sexual abuse were assessed among adults living in New York City representing four ethnic/cultural groups: Cuban Americans (n = 40); Puerto Ricans (n = 46); African Americans (n = 40); and Anglo-Americans (n = 91). Respondents read a vignette describing the teenage female victim, the perpetrator, and the nature of the abuse. Then they completed on a semantic-differential consisting of 10 bipolar adjective rating scales. Factor analysis of the ratings indicated that the respondents conceptualized the victim in terms of a negative evaluation dimension and an assertiveness dimension. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated that the Cuban American group evaluated the victim more negatively than the Puerto Rican group. The ratings assigned to the victim on the assertiveness factor were significantly lower among female respondents than among male respondents. Results were interpreted as supporting the position that victims of child sexual abuse may be stigmatized as a result of their experience, and that the likelihood that this will occur may vary from one cultural group to another. Clinicians working with victims should routinely assess the culturally related attitudes of a victim\u27s family toward the victim, the perpetrator, and the meaning of the sexual abuse

Understanding and Reporting Child Abuse: Legal and Psychological Perspectives - Part Two. Emotional Abuse and Secondary Abuse

Emotional abuse and secondary abuse of children are increasingly recognized within the mental health and legal professions as at least as damaging to adjustment as physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. However, emotional and secondary abuse are relatively more difficult for mandated reporters to recognize and document, and reporting laws are problematic. This review article was written to acquaint professionals with the seriousness and prevalence of emotional and secondary child abuse and with the issues surrounding the reporting of such abuse

Understanding and Reporting Child Abuse: Legal and Psychological Perspectives. Part One: Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, and Neglect

This is the first of two articles for mandated child maltreatment reporters on issues surrounding the definitions, origins, and effects of child maltreatment. The present article considers physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect (abuse by omission). The second article considers emotional abuse and secondary child abuse, which occurs when caretakers allow children to observe other family members engaging in aggressive behavior