Secondary traumatization in parents following child disclosures of extrafamilial sexual abuse.

Abstract

This was a 6-month cohort study of secondary traumatization in parents following child disclosures of extrafamilial sexual abuse. Sixty-one case families (59 mothers, 27 fathers) were matched on child's age, sex, family constellation and occupational status with a normative comparison group of 59 families (58 mothers, 40 fathers) recruited from the local children's hospital. Case parents were recruited from the hospital's Child Protection Team, as well as from regional Children's Aid Societies, and Victim/Witness Programs. Parents were assessed at 3 and 6 months post-disclosure using the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Parent Sense of Competence Scale, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales III, the Impact of Event Scale, and the Child Behavior Checklist. Adjustment was conceptualized as being related to 2 sources of trauma: the type of abuse, and the subjective experience of the event (cognitive appraisal, environmental sensitivity, and baseline emotional functioning). Two mediating variables, parent sexual abuse history, and court involvement were examined. Results indicated a generalized pattern of distress for case mothers. They experienced poorer functioning in all areas except dyadic adjustment relative to comparison mothers at both time periods. Case fathers did not show such distress but had significantly higher levels of parent efficacy relative to the comparison group. Although case parents initially had significantly better dyadic adjustment, case primary caretakers showed a significant deterioration in marital adjustment over time. Case mothers also experienced significantly higher levels of intrusive and avoidant symptoms and lower parent satisfaction relative to case fathers at both time periods. Although the nature of the sexual abuse was not a significant predictor of parent emotional distress, intrusive symptoms, parenting satisfaction, perceptions of child internalizing problems, quality of social support, and satisfaction with family adaptability were relevant predictors for mothers at 3 months. At 6 months, social support was no longer a significant predictor. No significant differences emerged as a function of court status. Parent and child sexual abuse history were significantly related to clinical risk for parent emotional distress. The clinical and research implications of working with parents following disclosure are discussed; risk groups for secondary traumatization are identified; and revisions to the secondary traumatization model are recommended.