Children’s Coping and Perceptions of Coping Efficacy After Sexual Abuse: Links to Trauma Symptoms

Abstract

Despite an emphasis on coping following childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to reduce trauma-related symptoms, very few studies have researched the associations between sexually abused children’s coping and trauma-related difficulties, and perceived coping efficacy has been largely overlooked. The current study investigated whether children’s use and perceived efficacy of avoidant, internalized, angry, and active/social coping strategies were associated with caregiver- and child-reported posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and caregiver-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms among 202 sexually abused children (8-12 years; M = 10.47 years, SD = 1.70 years). Children reported using approximately eight types of coping strategies ( M = 8.29, SD =2.50). Regression models indicated that internalized and angry coping were associated with child-reported PTSS. In contrast to expectations, none of the types of coping strategies were linked with caregiver’s reports of PTSS or internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Interestingly, perceived efficacy of coping was largely unrelated to symptoms, with only perceived efficacy of avoidant coping inversely related to child-reported PTSS. Perceived efficacy was not tied to caregiver’s reports of children’s symptoms. Coping strategies may be associated with children’s, but not caregiver’s, reports of children’s trauma-related difficulties. Furthermore, perceived efficacy of coping strategies may also be largely unrelated to children’s symptoms, or children may have limited insight regarding the efficacy of their coping strategies. To further inform trauma-focused interventions that support effective long-term coping, future research should investigate which coping strategies children perceive to be efficacious, as well as potential reasons why.

The adverse impact of excessive internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' coping skills: A case study in Hanoi, Vietnam 2021

“…In our study, about 87% of adolescents reported “distracting yourself from thinking about the problem” this result was similar to the study of Campbell et al ( 29 ), with 84.7% of adolescents reported “just tried to forget it” when they faced with a problem. There was 83.3% of adolescents reported “doing something else to stop thinking about the problem,” and 66.4% of adolescents reported “trying hard to fix the problem” those results were higher than the results of Campbell et al ( 29 ). The reason may be due to our research conducted in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the culture in diffentce.…”

“…In line with the previous studies, children utilized a variety of strategies to cope with stress ( 28 – 31 ), reflecting a need for children to attempt to cope. Children most frequently reported using avoidant coping and social coping, findings that are consistent with the existing research ( 29 , 30 ). Children do not use a single strategy to cope, supporting speculation presented by other studíe that children essentially “try out” a large variety of strategies before determining which are effective and/or feasible ( 28 – 30 , 32 , 33 ).…”

“…Although our study did not address children's assessment of effective coping strategies, many studies show that social support or emotional coping methods were partially effective and better than avoidance strategy ( 29 – 31 , 33 , 34 ). Zimmer et al also pointed out that proactive coping, not avoidant, was related to better psychological well-being in children, but only in controllable situations/contexts ( 13 ).…”

Coping strategies among older adults living with HIV/AIDS with history of childhood sexual abuse

“…Studies have shown that focused coping is commonly used by survivors of CSA. 24 The use of focused coping has been suggested to decrease negative symptoms and may be a better approach as compared to others. 36 Similarly, finding comfort in religion and spirituality as a coping strategy may have positive outcomes akin to the focused coping approach.…”

“…22 In a randomized controlled trial among 247 participants, Sikkema et al 23 reported that participants used avoidant coping (emotional suppression, denial and substance use) to deal with the stress associated with living with HIV and history of CSA. Similarly, to investigate children’s use of coping strategies, Campbell et al 24 reported that survivors of CSA used both adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies. Studies have shown that maladaptive coping strategies are strong predictors of adverse outcomes, including general distress, depression, reduced self-esteem and post-traumatic stress syndrome.…”