Methods of coping with childhood sexual abuse were retrospectively studied with 54 adult women who had been sexually abused in childhood. "Denial" and "emotional repression" were the coping methods most commonly employed. Analysis suggested that avoidant/emotion suppressing strategies were associated with poorer adult psychological adjustment.…

In a study involving 383 college students, a number of small, but significant, relationships were found between history of childhood sexual abuse and measures of later psychological and sexual adjustment. However, when parental supportiveness was controlled, very few significant relationships emerged. (Author/CL)

Interviews with 20 women from paternally incestuous families revealed that they felt a moderate degree of conflict between their roles as mother and wife. Strategies for coping with the conflict are categorized (social role redefinition, interpersonal role redefinition, intrapersonal role redefinition, or reactive role behavior) and evaluated in…

Analysis of questionnaires completed by 257 parents of children with multiple disabilities (of which 25 had previously substantiated maltreatment reports) on perceptions of stress and burden of care found no relationship between a history of child maltreatment and currently perceived stress levels. (DB)

A study of 50 refugee Chilean children newly settled in Sweden examined their persecution in Chile and coping patterns in Sweden. Sleep disturbances and dependency were significantly associated with persecution. Implications for working with refugee families are discussed. (BRM)

A school-based child sexual abuse prevention program consisting of separate two-hour workshops for children (ages 5-12), parents, and teachers was evaluated. Results indicated parents were more informed and interactive with their children following the workshops. Children showed no increased emotional stress and reported feeling safer and better…

Common themes in research on individuals who were abused as children are reviewed, noting transmission of a basic inability to provide good parenting. Psychological residues are discussed (including low self-esteem) along with delinquency, depression, attachment disorders, and sexual abuse. (CL)

Abused children who survived the trauma of their childhood and grew up to be well-adjusted were compared with a matched group who showed a high degree of psychosocial pathology. The variables which distinguished the two groups were fatalism, self-esteem, cognitive abilities, self-destructiveness, hope and fantasy, behavior patterns and external…

This report on a survey of 224 home visitation programs that provide services for abused and neglected children and their families presents data on program characteristics, characteristics of home visits, credentials of home visitors, and program documentation procedures. Programs reported that training in parenting skills and parent coping were…

Evaluation of 11 children from 5 exile families with at least 1 parent having been subjected to torture found children were anxious, depressive, and regressive with psychosomatic symptoms, sleep disorders, and family and school problems. Coping strategies including isolation and withdrawal, mental flight, eagerness to acclimatize, and strength of…

Objective: This research examines the understudied issue of gender differences in disclosure, social reactions, post-abuse coping, and PTSD of adult survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA). Method: Data were collected on a cross-sectional convenience sample of 733 college students completing a confidential survey about their demographic…

This article reviews the literature on the inadequacy and adequacy of parenting by persons with mental retardation and offers new foci for research. It examines issues in predicting parenting inadequacy based on parental knowledge and skill, health care and safety, decision making, interaction, and child outcomes in terms of cognitive delay and…

Among findings of evaluation of the coping strategies of maltreated children (n=152) were that abused children and children both abused and neglected were difficult or compliant in interactions with their mothers, avoidant under stress, and aggressive with siblings; and that neglected children were cooperative in play with the mother, anxious…

Life stories of three child maltreatment survivors illustrate how resilience is fostered by various protective factors. Protective factors include personal characteristics or skills (e.g., precocious maturity, dissociation of affect), generic life circumstances (e.g., good health, social welfare services), and abuse-specific factors (e.g.,…

Research indicates that male children are more likely to be abused by nonfamily than by family members. Residing in a neglectful home or a mother-headed household and having previous homosexual contact tend to heighten risk for sexual abuse by nonfamily members. Effects appear to be serious and long-lasting. (Author/JW)