Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Child Sexual Abuse Victims and Their Mothers

Timmons-Mitchell, Jane; Chandler-Holtz, Dawn; Semple, William E.

doi:10.1300/j070v06n04_01

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…By and large, Oates et al (1998) found that sexually abused children whose mothers had experienced CSA were no more likely to display low self-esteem, depression, or behavioral problems than were children of nonabused mothers, at the time of initial assessment or at 18 month and 5-year follow-ups (a minor exception was that survivors' children reported lower self-esteem at initial assessment). A rather striking fi nd-ing by Timmons-Mitchell, Chandler-Holtz, and Semple (1997) was that sexually victimized children of CSA survivors (mean age 8.3 years) were less likely than were the children of nonabused women to experience PTSD symptoms stemming from their own abuse. The reason for this fi nding is unclear, but it is possible that CSA survivors may draw on their own abuse experiences to help children cope with their victimization.…”

Section: Children Of Csa Survivorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting Characteristics of Women Reporting a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse

2003

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This article reviews research on the parenting characteristics of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Various aspects of parenting are considered, including (a) childbearing patterns, (b) the intergenerational transmission of CSA, (c) maternal reactions to child CSA disclosure, (d) parenting skills and behaviors, (e) parental violence toward children, (f) attitudes toward parenting, and (g) adjustment of survivors' children. Overall patterns suggest CSA survivors may experience difficulties with some aspects of parenting. Among the more consistent trends are findings that survivors may have difficulties establishing clear generational boundaries with their children, may be more permissive as parents, and may be more likely to use harsh physical discipline. Despite associations between CSA and parenting difficulties, the limited research addressing specific aspects of parenting, and limitations in study design, preclude causal inferences and make conclusions tentative at the present time. The clinical implications of this work and directions for future research are discussed.

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Section: Children Of Csa Survivorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parenting Characteristics of Women Reporting a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse

2003

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“…The majority of studies conducted in this area suggest there is a specific relation between sexual abuse and PTSD. All eight of the Stressor‐Outcome studies (100%) found specificity in the relation between sexual abuse and PTSD (Deblinger, McLeer, Atkins, Ralph, & Foa, 1989; Dykman et al, 1997; Friedrich et al, 1997; Haviland, Sonne, & Woods, 1995; Livingston et al, 1993; Rivinus et al, 1992; Sadeh et al, 1994; Timmons‐Mitchell, Holtz, & Semple, 1997). In addition, of the three Outcome specific studies that examined the relation between sexual abuse and PTSD, two found evidence of specificity (McClellan et al, 1995; McLeer et al, 1992) while one study did not find a specific relation between sexual abuse and PTSD (Berliner & Conte, 1995).…”

Section: Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

Stress and psychopathology in children and adolescents: is there evidence of specificity?

McMahon

Grant

Compas

et al. 2002

Child Psychology Psychiatry

303

187

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Research on the relations between specific stressors and specific psychological outcomes among children and adolescents is reviewed. Specificity, the notion that particular risk factors are uniquely related to particular outcomes is discussed from a theoretical perspective, and models of specificity are described. Several domains of stressors are examined from a specificity framework (e.g., exposure to violence, abuse, and divorce/marital conflict) in relation to broad-band outcomes of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Studies that tested for specificity conducted within the past 15 years are examined, and definitional problems are highlighted. Little evidence for specificity was found. Methodological problems in the literature and the lack of theory-driven specificity research are discussed, and directions for future research are identified.

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“…In addition, many studies contained mixed samples of intra-and extrafamilial sexual abuse (e.g., Newberger et al, 1993), in spite of the empirical evidence suggesting that nonoffending mothers' reactions to their children's sexual abuse may differ according to their own relationships with the perpetrators (Pintello & Zuravin, 2001). Some studies did not provide adequate information on sexual abuse characteristics of the samples (e.g., Shah et al, 1995), whereas other studies utilized clinical samples of sexually abused children, in which the reports of abuse solely depended on the participants' reports (e.g., Timmons-Mitchell, Chandler-Holtz, & Semple, 1997). Last, much of the information on these mothers is reliant on retrospective reports of adult survivors of child sexual abuse (e.g., Jackson et al, 1990).…”

Section: Methodological Issues In Past Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial Characteristics of Nonoffending Mothers of Sexually Abused Girls: Findings From a Prospective, Multigenerational Study

et al. 2007

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This study examined psychosocial characteristics of nonoffending mothers of sexually abused girls. The sample consisted of 72 ethnically diverse mothers of sexually abused girls aged 6 to 16 years, and 55 mothers of girls who were demographically similar with the abused girls on age, socioeconomic status, and family constellation. The variables examined included measures of the mothers' childhood developmental histories and current functioning (e.g., depression, parenting), as well as their current family environment. The specific questions addressed were (a) whether mothers of sexually abused girls could be distinguished from mothers of comparison girls on various psychosocial characteristics and (b) whether three subgroups of mothers (i.e., mother and daughter sexually abused, daughter-only abused, neither mother nor daughter abused) would exhibit different patterns of psychosocial characteristics. Results show that nonoffending mothers of sexually abused girls may confront considerable psychosocial challenges following the disclosure of their daughters' sexual abuse and that mother's own childhood abuse experiences may be an important factor to understand these challenges.

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Child Sexual Abuse Victims and Their Mothers

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

Parenting Characteristics of Women Reporting a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Parenting Characteristics of Women Reporting a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Stress and psychopathology in children and adolescents: is there evidence of specificity?

Psychosocial Characteristics of Nonoffending Mothers of Sexually Abused Girls: Findings From a Prospective, Multigenerational Study

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