Background-Child sexual abuse is associated with a plethora of devastating repercussions. A significant number of sexually abused children are likely to experience other forms of maltreatment that can seriously affect their emotion regulation abilities and impede on their development. The aim of the study was to test emotion regulation and dissociation as mediators in the association between cumulative childhood trauma and internalized and externalized behavior problems in child victims of sexual abuse.Methods-Participants were 309 sexually abused children (203 girls and 106 boys; Mean age = 9.07) and their non-offending parent. Medical and clinical files were coded for cumulative childhood trauma. At initial evaluation (T1), parents completed measures assessing children's emotion regulation abilities and dissociation. At Time 2 (T2), parents completed a measure assessing children's behavior problems. Mediation analyses were conducted with emotion regulation and dissociation as sequential mediators using Mplus software.Results-Findings revealed that cumulative childhood trauma affects both internalized and externalized behavior problems through three mediation paths: emotion regulation alone, dissociation alone, and through a path combining emotion regulation and dissociation.Limitations-Both emotion regulation and dissociation were assessed at T1 and thus the temporal sequencing of mediators remains to be ascertained through a longitudinal design. All measures were completed by the parents.Conclusions-Clinicians should routinely screen for other childhood trauma in vulnerable clienteles. In order to tackle behavior problems, clinical interventions for sexually abused youth need to address emotion regulation competencies and dissociation.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of teen dating victimization among boys and girls and examine their association with family and peer contextual risk factors and mental health indicators. Method: As part of the population-based Youths’ Romantic Relationships Project, 8,230 high school students, with a corresponding weighted sample of 6,531 teens, were questioned about their victimization experiences. In total, 2,022 girls and 1,245 boys reported having a romantic relationship in the past year. Latent class analysis was used to identify classes for both girls and boys. Results: Latent class analysis identified a best fitting model of three classes for girls: low victimization (61% of girls), sexual assault and psychological violence (27%), and multiple victimization (12%). For boys, three classes were identified reflecting low victimization (84% of boys), multiple victimization (9%), and unwanted sexual contacts and psychological violence (7%). Associations between class membership and family and peer contextual risk factors and mental health indicators revealed more distinctive features among classes for girls than for boys. Conclusions: The findings highlight the utility of a person-oriented approach to enhance our understanding of the diversity of victimization experiences in the context of teen romantic relationships. Results also underscore the importance of tailoring prevention efforts to efficiently tackle teen dating violence.

Background-Understanding factors influencing mental health of sexually abused teenagers is essential to orient treatment with this vulnerable population. The purpose of this study was to explore alexithymia as a mediator of the relationship between child sexual abuse and psychological distress using a representative sample of teenagers, while considering gender as a potential moderator.Methods-Teenagers participating in the Quebec Youths' Romantic Relationships Survey completed measures evaluating a history of child sexual abuse and alexithymia at baseline while psychological distress was evaluated 6 months later.Results-A moderated mediated model revealed a partial mediation effect of alexithymia in the relationship between child sexual abuse and psychological distress. Gender acted as a moderator as the conditional indirect effects of child sexual abuse on mental health via alexithymia were stronger for boys.Conclusion-Findings underscore the relevance of assessing and targeting sexually abused victims' capacity to identify and communicate emotions to promote well-being.

The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of teen dating victimization among boys and girls and examine their association with family and peer contextual risk factors and injuries and mental health indicators. As part of the population-based Youths’ Romantic Relationships Project, 8 230 high school students were questioned about their victimization experiences. Latent class analysis was used to identify classes for both girls and boys. Latent class analysis identified a best fitting model of three classes for girls: Low victimization (61% of girls), Sexual and psychological violence (27%) and Multiple victimization (12%). Similarly for boys, three classes were identified including a Low victimization (84% of boys), a Multiple victimization (9%) and an Unwanted sexual contacts and psychological violence (7%). Associations between class membership and family and peer contextual risk factors and mental health indicators revealed more distinctive features among classes for girls than for boys. Confirming our hypothesis, both genders in the Multiple violence class reported experiencing the most injuries (e.g., bruise or cut, pain the next day or need of a medical appointment). A history of childhood interpersonal traumas was significantly related to classes of dating victimization, suggesting that different forms of child abuse (neglect, exposure to interparental violence, physical or sexual abuse) are associated with a heightened risk of revictimization in the context of their first romantic relationships. Our findings suggest that child sexual abuse may act as a specific vulnerability factor for more pervasive forms of TDV for girls. The findings highlight the utility of a person-oriented approach to enhance our understanding of the diversity of victimization experiences in the context of teen romantic relationships. Results also underscore the importance of tailoring prevention efforts to efficiently tackle teen dating violence and the relevance of trauma-informed practices.