Therapeutic Practices for Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents: Resources for Marriage, Family, and Couples’ Counselors

Marriage, family, and couple counselors should be educated in various treatment options for sexually abused adolescents, due to the frequency, and severity of this form of abuse. The long-term effects of sexual abuse can be devastating for victims. Posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression are potential issues resulting from sexual abuse. The present review analyzes three different therapeutic approaches family counselors may use for working with sexually abused children and adolescents. These approaches include trauma-focused-cognitive behavioral therapy, play therapy and expressive art therapy, eye movement and desensitization, and reprocessing therapy. Implications for family, marriage, and couples’ counselors are provided recommendations as well for future research.

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Medical Evaluation of Sexually Abused Children: A Review of 311 Cases

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.69.1.8 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 69 (1) ◽

pp. 8-14

Author(s):

Mary Ellen Rimsza ◽

Elaine H. Niggemann

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Physical Examination ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Abused Children ◽

Medical Evaluation ◽

Time Period ◽

Victims Of Sexual Abuse ◽

Sexually Abused Children

The case records of 311 children and adolescents who were medically evaluated for sexual abuse are reviewed. Only 18% of these victims were assaulted by strangers; 131 of the assailants were relatives. Thirty percent of the victims reported multiple assaults over a time period of one week to nine years. Physical examination showed no abnormalities in only 23% of the patients. Twenty-one patients had gonorrhea and seven patients were pregnant. Guidelines for the medical evaluation of patients suspected to be victims of sexual abuse are discussed.

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Structured Trauma-Focused CBT and Unstructured Play/Experiential Techniques in the Treatment of Sexually Abused Children: A Field Study With Practicing Clinicians

Child Maltreatment ◽

10.1177/1077559516681866 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 112-120 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Brian Allen ◽

Natalie Armstrong Hoskowitz

Keyword(s):

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Future Research ◽

Abused Children ◽

Treatment Techniques ◽

History Of ◽

Experiential Techniques ◽

Sexually Abused Children

Structured, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques are widely considered an effective intervention for children who experienced sexual abuse. However, unstructured (i.e., nondirective) play/experiential techniques have a longer history of widespread promotion and are preferred by many practicing clinicians. No evidence is available, however, to determine how the integration of these techniques impacts treatment outcome. In this study, community-based clinicians who received training in a structured, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral intervention administered pretreatment and posttreatment evaluations to 260 sexually abused children presenting with elevated posttraumatic stress. In addition, they completed a questionnaire describing the treatment techniques implemented with each child. Overall, significant improvement was observed for each of the six clinical outcomes. Regression analyses indicated that technique selection was a significant factor in posttreatment outcome for posttraumatic stress, dissociation, anxiety, and anger/aggression. In general, a greater utilization of the structured CBT techniques was related to lower posttreatment scores, whereas a higher frequency of play/experiential techniques was associated with higher posttreatment scores. However, no interaction effects were observed. The implication of these findings for clinical practice and future research are examined.

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Thought and Language Disorder among Sexually Abused Children in a Psychiatric Hospital

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/16.02.pr0.112.2.340-352 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 112 (2) ◽

pp. 340-352 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Francine Conway ◽

Priyam Talreja ◽

James McCarthy ◽

Fiona Conway

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Childhood Sexual Abuse ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Logical Reasoning ◽

Empirical Literature ◽

Psychotic Symptoms ◽

Future Research ◽

Abused Children ◽

Small Effect Size ◽

Sexually Abused Children

The empirical literature offers evidence that childhood sexual abuse is a predictor of psychopathology in adults. However, the literature examining the relations between thought disorder and psychotic symptoms in children is sparse. Children with a history of childhood sexual abuse are expected to demonstrate more disturbances in thought relative to their peers with no childhood sexual abuse. Using the Thought and Language Index, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) narratives for four commonly used TAT cards obtained from 39 closed charts of hospitalized children were analyzed. Narratives were assessed on seven dimensions including weakening of goals, perseveration, looseness, peculiar word usage, peculiar sentence construction, non-logical reasoning, and distractibility. Good inter-rater reliability was obtained. Sexually abused children had higher aberrant scores on card number four compared to non-abused children. Sexual abuse history was a predictive factor for non-logical reasoning, with small effect size. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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Vil Du?! incorporation of a serious game in therapy for sexually abused children and adolescents

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health ◽

10.1186/s13034-021-00377-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Joyce J. Endendijk ◽

Henny K. Tichelaar ◽

Menno Deen ◽

Maja Deković

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Serious Game ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Abused Children ◽

Verbal Abilities ◽

Self Blame ◽

Sexual Abuse Victims ◽

Sexually Abused Children

Abstract Background Talking about experiences of sexual abuse in therapy is difficult for children and adolescents, amongst others due to a lack of vocabulary to describe the situation, avoidance, or feelings of shame, fear, and self-blame. The serious game Vil Du?! was developed to help children open up about sexual experiences. Vil Du?! is a non-verbal communication game, which resembles a dress-up game, in which children can show the therapist what happened to them. The current study examined how and for which therapy components Vil Du?! was used by therapists. Methods We used a mixed-methods triangulation design. Therapists filled out online surveys about the use of Vil Du?! with 23 clients (Mage = 11.38 years, SD = 3.96; 61 % female). We also conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 therapists. The data were analyzed in SPSS (quantitative) and Nvivo (qualitative) following the stepwise guidelines of Zhang and Wildemuth. Results Merged qualitative and quantitative data revealed that therapists acknowledged the usefulness of Vil Du?! mostly for the therapy components trauma narration and processing, and psycho-education about sexuality. In addition, Vil Du?! might be most useful for clients who have difficulty with disclosing sexual abuse experiences, due to limited verbal abilities or feelings of guilt, shame, avoidance, and tension. Conclusions Recommendations from this study were incorporated in a user manual as a first step toward more systematic and broad implementation of Vil Du?! in the treatment of young sexual abuse victims. A next step is to test whether implementing Vil Du?! in therapy is effective in reducing the negative mental health consequences of sexual abuse for children and adolescents.

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Does Sexual Abuse Disclosure Predict Sexual Behavior Problems in Sexually Abused Children?

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e517292011-790 ◽

2009 ◽

Author(s):

Marielle Falki ◽

Nicholas Bishop ◽

Danielle Louis ◽

Natalie Wilcox

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Sexual Behavior ◽

Behavior Problems ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Sexual Behavior Problems ◽

Abused Children ◽

Abuse Disclosure ◽

Sexual Abuse Disclosure ◽

Sexually Abused Children

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Maternal History of Child Sexual Abuse and Maladaptive Outcomes in Sexually Abused Children: The Role of Maternal Mental Health

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/08862605211013963 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 088626052110139

Author(s):

Rachel Langevin ◽

Martine Hébert ◽

Audrey Kern

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Sexual Abuse ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Maternal Mental Health ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Abused Children ◽

Maternal History ◽

History Of ◽

Sexually Abused Children

The effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) have been found to surpass generations as maternal history of CSA is associated with increased difficulties in sexually abused children. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this association. The present study aimed to test maternal mental health symptoms including psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and dissociation as mediators of the relationship between maternal CSA and children’s internalizing, externalizing, and dissociation symptoms in a large sample of sexually abused children. A total of 997 sexually abused children aged 3-14 years old and their mothers were recruited at five specialized intervention centers offering services to sexually abused children and their families. The children were divided into two groups depending on their mothers’ self-reported history of CSA. Mothers completed a series of questionnaires assessing their mental health and children’s functioning. Maternal history of CSA was associated with increased maternal psychological distress, PTSD symptoms, and dissociation following children’s disclosure of CSA. In turn, maternal psychological distress and maternal dissociation were associated with increased child internalizing, externalizing, and dissociation symptoms. Maternal PTSD symptoms were associated with child internalizing symptoms. Maternal mental health difficulties mediated the association between maternal CSA and sexually abused children’s maladaptive outcomes. Clinicians should assess for possible history of CSA in mothers of sexually abused children and determine how best to support them to cope with the aftermaths of their child’s disclosure and with their own traumatic past.

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Experiences of mothers of sexually abused children in North-West province, post disclosure

Curationis ◽

10.4102/curationis.v39i1.1659 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 39 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gaboipolelwe M. Masilo ◽

Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Secondary Trauma ◽

Emotional Pain ◽

Abused Children ◽

North West ◽

South African Police Service ◽

The North ◽

North West Province ◽

Sexually Abused Children

Background: Sexual violence against children is increasing at an alarming rate in South Africa. In 2010 the South African Police Service (SAPS) reported 21 538 rape cases of children under 18 years. In the North-West province (NWP) 5039 incidents of rape cases were reported in 2009. Mothers often experience emotional pain following child sexual abuse disclosure. It is seldom acknowledged that these mothers experience trauma and need support, post disclosure. The researcher has no known evidence of research conducted on the experiences of these mothers in NWP. Objective: The objective of the study was to explore and describe the experiences of mothers of sexually abused children post disclosure of the abuse. Method: The research design was qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual. Purposive sampling was used to select mothers of sexually abused children aged 23 to 59 years whose children ranged from 0 to 16 years. Permission to conduct the study was sought from the Provincial Department of Health and informed consent was obtained from the mothers. Interviews were conducted with a sample of n = 17 until data saturation. Data were collected through in-depth interviews using a voice recorder and field notes to enhance triangulation. Tesch’s method of open coding was used to analyse data. Results: Findings indicated that mothers experienced emotional pain post sexual abuse. They expressed shock, anger and guilt for not noticing the abuse. They showed significant depression as a result of lack of support by stakeholders. Conclusion: Mothers experienced secondary trauma that poses social and psychological challenges with far-reaching implications.

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Sexual Abuse of Children: Implications for Practice

Social Casework ◽

10.1177/104438948106201004 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 62 (10) ◽

pp. 601-606 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Jon R. Conte ◽

Lucy Berliner

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Social Work ◽

Sexually Abused ◽

Sex Offender ◽

Descriptive Data ◽

Abused Children ◽

Sexually Abused Children

Descriptive data on sexually abused children confirm that most children are abused by members or acquaintances of their own families. Social work services for victims should include efforts to protect the child from further abuse, and insure that the child, non-abusing parent, and sex offender receive services.

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