As part of the routine psychiatric evaluation, all subjects were administered the Rorschach Inkblot Test. All testing was administered by experienced clinic staff. The Rorschach Inkblot Test is a standardized projective technique that enables the clinician and researcher to examine styles and contents of thinking, perception, and feelings that are not always readily accessible through observational, self-report, or paper-and-pencil tests. An overall measure of psychopathology was derived from the Rorschach Structural Summary, using six Rorschach variables identified by Exner (1978, 1986) as being broadly sensitive to psychological impairment. Characteristics of abuse significantly associated with greater psychological disturbance were more than one perpetrator, an early age of abuse onset (before age 7 or 8), and periods of intense and frequent abuse episodes (more than three or four times per month). What enhanced the child's capacity to recover was the presence of a relatively stable two-parent household. Implications for prognosis and treatment are discussed. 1 table and 39 references