Effects of the child–perpetrator relationship on mental health outcomes of child abuse: It's (not) all relative☆
Section snippets
Participants
Data for this study were obtained from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Core Data Set (CDS). Data in the CDS were collected from 14,088 children and youth aged birth to 21 years who presented for clinical evaluation due to exposure to a traumatic event (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, accident) at one of 56 NCTSN-funded centers across the United States from 2004 to 2010. NCTSN centers include community-based, hospital, and university organizations
Results
Mixed regression models for sexual trauma by a caregiver vs. non-caregiver revealed that sexual trauma perpetrated by a non-caregiver resulted in significantly higher scores on the UCLA PTSD-RI Total Severity score, CBCL Internalizing and Externalizing T-scores, and the TSCC-A Depression and Dissociation scales at the time of treatment intake (see Table 3). Regarding other predictors in the model, number of trauma types experienced by the child was significantly associated with all outcome
Discussion
Prior research and clinical work have underscored the importance of examining perpetrator–child relationships in evaluating child abuse outcomes. Considerable evidence in research with adult non-clinical samples has indicated worse adult outcomes when the individual, as a child sexual trauma victim, had been dependent on and/or trusted the perpetrator (e.g., Goldsmith et al., 2012). Early research with child samples (e.g., Kendall-Tackett et al., 1993) also seemed to support this finding, but
Summary
Previous studies have shown inconsistencies about the effects of the child–perpetrator relationship on mental health outcomes of children and youth who have been abused. On the one hand, some investigators found that outcomes are worse for those youth who have a ‘close’ relationship with the abuser. In contrast, others demonstrated the opposite or that the degree of closeness between the child and perpetrator has no differential effect. The present study was designed to further examine the
Acknowledgements
The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration nor the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. We would like to acknowledge the 56 sites within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network that have contributed data to the Core Data Set as well as the children and families who have contributed to our growing understanding of child traumatic stress. We also greatly
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2022, Psychiatry ResearchCitation Excerpt :However, it is likely that such an error would bias the findings towards the null, as these individuals would have been classified as “without CWCDC.” Third, among respondents who experienced maltreatment, we do not know the perpetrator of the maltreatment, nor the severity or duration of the abuse, all of which may influence one's mental health trajectory (Kiser et al., 2014; Sugaya et al., 2012). Fourth, we also do not know what, if any, mental health interventions the child received during or after their contact with the child welfare system, and the effect this may have had on their mental health.
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2022, American Journal of Preventive MedicineDispositional optimism mediates relations between childhood maltreatment and PTSD symptom severity among trauma-exposed adults
2021, Child Abuse and NeglectCitation Excerpt :However, in our sample, 46 % of participants reported a history of childhood sexual abuse, which suggests that lack of a mediation effect of optimism may be more likely due to other factors concerning the sexual abuse experience. Other studies have shown that characteristics of sexual abuse such as the duration and frequency, age of onset, perpetrator identity, penetration, pain, enforcement of abuse with violence or threats, and the perceived threat to life or helplessness are associated with PTSD symptoms (Kendall-Tackett, Williams, & Finkelhor, 1993; Kiser et al., 2014; Leahy, Pretty, & Tenenbaum, 2004; Steine et al., 2017). These factors may help explain the lack of a mediation effect observed in the present study, but such factors were not measured in the present study.
Impact of environmental factors on mental health of children and adolescents: A systematic review
2020, Children and Youth Services ReviewCitation Excerpt :UNICEF (2017) data of 28 countries revealed that nine out of 10 adolescents had been victims of forced sexual relations with individuals they knew or were close to the family. Sexual and physical trauma, when committed by a non-caregiver, results in higher symptom levels among children with mental health concerns (Kiser et al., 2014). This finding was at a tangent since it was assumed that the severity of symptoms would be higher in children who were abused by caregivers.
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This article was developed (in part) under grant numbers 3U79SM054284-10S, 5U79SM058147-04 (LJK), K23 DA023334 (CSS) and 5U79SM059297-03 (JKAA) from the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.