A conceptual model of post-traumatic growth among children and adolescents in the aftermath of sexual abuse

Abstract

While most of the research on childhood sexual abuse has rightfully focused on negative outcomes, it is worth understanding how some individuals can thrive after experiencing trauma. A conceptual model of post-traumatic growth proposes that individuals can experience positive changes post-trauma through the process of recovery. The model incorporates social, psychological, and cognitive factors to describe the process of post-traumatic growth, and studies have provided empirical evidence in support of the model among adult and child survivors of diverse types of trauma. However, we contend that the model is insufficient to describe the post-traumatic growth among child survivors of sexual abuse and therefore present a revised model of post-traumatic growth that considers attachment style, gender, and time since trauma. The implications for research and clinical interventions are discussed.

Locus of control in maltreated children: the impact of attachment and cumulative trauma

“…The results of bad adaptation, previously highlighted (e.g., Ellis & Milner 1981;Serrano et al 1979), retake the point with regard to the quality of the attachment relationship in which child victims of abuse are inserted (Bacon & Richardson 2001;McElheran et al 2012). According to studies in this area, it appears that physically or sexually abused children, as well as neglected children, present a high probability of developing mental models of insecure attachment (Beaudoina et al 2013;Miner et al 2014) that are essentially configured in terms of disorganized attachment (see the revision by Cyr et al 2010;and, specifically, Lyons-Ruth et al 1999;Lyons-Ruth & Jacobvitz 2008).…”

Influence of Attachment Style on Sexual Abuse Survivors' Posttraumatic Growth

“…Conversely, insecure attachment styles lead to unproductive and excessive focus on negative emotions or avoidance of feelings of distress, which in turn can lead to inappropriate emotional regulation (Moran, Neufeld, Gleason, Deoliveira, & Pederson, ). The internal working models of attachment influence illness and mental health (Muris, Meesters, & van den Berg, ) and outweigh abuse characteristics in determining psychological adjustment (McElheran et al, ).…”

Abuso sexual en mujeres de 10 a 13 años en el Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

“…[23] El hecho de que los victimarios tengan una relación cercana con sus víctimas, en especial familiares, genera mayor impacto en el desarrollo físico y emocional de las menores, puesto que previo a los hechos existe un vínculo emocional y personal; es por esto que se podría considerar que lo que importa no es tanto el grado de parentesco entre ambos, sino el nivel de intimidad emocional existente, que va a generar mayor impacto psicológico y en el desarrollo de la personalidad de la víctima. [25][26][27][28] Un alto porcentaje de los victimarios eran menores de edad, sin embargo, la edad de los mismos supera la de las víctimas, lo que indica que estos últimos presentan un mayor desarrollo físico y psicológico. Es importante mencionar que alrededor del 20 % de las niñas y el 9 % de los niños mencionan estar involucrados de una manera u otra con actividades sexuales inapropiadas para su edad, por estimulación de una persona de mayor edad.…”