NCJ Number
196261
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 265-276
Date Published
August 2002
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This article intends to contribute to the developing knowledge base on guardian support of sexually abused children by reporting on a study of its intervening variables.
Abstract
The study's hypothesis was that guardian support is better conceptualized as a complex reaction to the disclosure of abuse that is shaped by a number of factors, some of the most important of which are the stressors that impinge on guardians and their previous patterns of relating within the family. The study sample was composed of 92 guardians of sexually abused children who presented at a medical center for a sexual abuse medical and forensic evaluation over a 9-month period. To qualify for the study, the child had to be between the ages of 7 and 13; be sexually abused; and be accompanied by an English-speaking nonoffending mother or father or by a guardian of the child, as long as the guardian had maintained custody of the child for the previous 6 months or had an ongoing familial relationship with the child. Guardian support, the dependent variable, was assessed by using the Parental Reaction to Incest Disclosure Scale (PRIDS). The measurement of independent variables focused on the quality of relationships within the family and stressors and buffers. After independent variables were placed in bivariate analyses with guardian support, a multiple regression analysis was run. The study found that the most important intervening variables for guardian support were the attachment/relationship style of child and guardian and whether a second guardian accompanied the child to the hospital. This study thus highlights the importance of relational considerations between the child and nonoffending guardian as well as the importance of using more than a single nonoffending caregiver in a supportive role. 4 tables and 40 references