Objective: This retrospective, cross-sectional study investigated the association between childhood physical and psychological maltreatment and self-reported physical health concerns in adult women. The mediating roles of perceived stress and coping strategies were examined. Methods: Participants were 235 women (aged 18-59 years) recruited from…

Objective: Shaken baby syndrome (SBS) is preventable; however, an estimated 21-74 per 100,000 children worldwide are victims annually. This study examined the effectiveness of an SBS prevention program in the US. Methods: A descriptive, secondary analysis of the Prevent Child Abuse Ohio (PCAO) "Love Me...Never Shake Me" SBS education program…

Objective: One objective was to determine if cocaine-using women who did not maintain infant custody (NMC) would report more psychological distress, domestic violence, negative coping skills, lower social support and more childhood trauma than cocaine-using women who maintained custody (MC) of their infant. A second objective was to evaluate the…

Objective: The current study was exploratory and used multiple methods to examine patterns of stability and change in resilient functioning across 7 years of early adulthood. Second, qualitative data were used to examine in greater detail survivors' own narratives about correlates of healing. Method: This study was longitudinal and used both…

This study describes the disclosure processes of 68 sexually abused girls. Circumstances of disclosure were found to be related to long-term psychological functioning. Girls who disclosed accidentally were younger, experienced abuse for shorter durations, and received the most therapy. At follow-up, those who purposefully disclosed had greater…

A study of 80 adolescent females found that attachment style mediates the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) and child abuse and neglect on coping and psychological distress. The indirect effects of CSA and other abuse through attachment accounted for most of the effects on coping and psychological distress. (Author/CR)

Analysis of the coping strategies of 40 adult women who had been sexually abused in childhood found that overall, abuse characteristics did not predict outcome. However, women who "deliberately suppressed" the abuse incidents were more likely to have low self-esteem and women who "reframed" the sexual abuse event were significantly less likely to…

Alternative measures and correlates of resilience were examined with 43 girls, ages 10 through 17, who were sexually abused. Interview responses indicated that the two strongest predictors of resilience were total level of abuse stressors experienced and the quality of the victim's relationship with a nonoffending parent. (Author/SW)

This study tested 192 women who had been sexually abused as children, to see if perceived stigma, betrayal, powerlessness, and self-blame mediated long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Levels of psychological distress experienced by adult survivors of abuse were found to be mediated by feelings of stigma and self-blame. (Author/PB)

A study of 106 undergraduates who had experienced a sexual assault within the past year found that those with a history of child sexual abuse used more disengagement methods of coping. The relationship between prior sexual abuse and use of disengagement coping strategies was mediated by feelings of stigma. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Objective: The purpose of the current study was to determine if a history of greater exposure to different types of adverse and/or abusive experiences in childhood would influence coping strategies used by undergraduate women to deal with new stressful events in young adulthood. Method: A sample of 828 women undergraduates from a New England state…

This longitudinal study examined relationships among 4 risk factors (social supports, maternal psychological adjustment, maternal preparation for parenting, and child temperament), maternal predisposition for aggressive coping, and maternal abuse potential in 75 adolescent mothers and their children. Preparation for parenting was most strongly…

Objective: To investigate the relationships between risk and protective factors and health outcome in a sample of adult females who had been victims of child sexual abuse. Method: Both person- and variable-oriented analyses were applied to questionnaire data from a non-clinical group of women (n=152) reporting sexual abuse during childhood.…

A survey of 126 female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (n=126) found participants reporting abuse by immediate family members and before age 10 tended make internal attributions of blame when they were children. Reports of childhood internal attributions of blame were significantly predictive of overall adult symptomatology and suicide…