NCJ Number
196260
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2002 Pages: 254-264
Date Published
August 2002
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship of attributional style, posttrauma, and depressive symptoms among children who had suffered either physical or sexual abuse.
Abstract
For the purposes of this study, sexual abuse was defined as coerced sexual contact with a child by an adult or juvenile family member, relative, stranger, or familiar person. Physical abuse was defined as excessive use of physical punishment by a caretaker that resulted in injury to the child. The sample for the current study consisted of 98 children who ranged in age from 8- to 17-years-old. All were referred for services to a university medical school-based program that specialized in the assessment and treatment of children who had suffered abuse or maltreatment. In the sample there were 31 sexually abused children and 67 physically abused children. All of the children were administered a depression inventory, the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-Reaction Index (PTSD-RI), and Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ). The sexual abuse group scored significantly higher on the PTSD-RI compared with the physical abuse group; whereas, the physical abuse group scored higher on the CASQ Composite for Negative Events. Findings also indicated that attributional style predicted depression beyond the variance accounted for by abuse type (i.e., physical or sexual); however, the best predictor of PTSD-RI scores was an interaction effect between abuse type and negative attributional style. Individuals' explanatory style of events is characterized by their general attribution style. The role of negative attributions or a self-blaming attributional style has been associated with poorer outcomes, including poor self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, for adult victims of childhood sexual abuse. Clinical implications of these findings for children who suffer abuse are discussed. 5 tables and 66 references