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Treatment Outcome Research With the Non-Offending Parents of Sexually Abused Children: A Critical Review

NCJ Number
207457
Journal
Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: 2004 Pages: 59-84
Author(s)
Jacqueline Corcoran
Date Published
2004
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article critiques treatment outcomes for new interventions designed to mitigate the adverse effects of incest by improving the nonoffending parent's support for the child victim.
Abstract
The literature review selected studies of child-sexual-abuse treatment that included either a parental component or a parent-child component. Studies were distinguished by the child victim's developmental age: preschool (ages 2 to 5); school age (ages 6 to 12); and adolescence (ages 13 to 18). Regarding preschool children, the research to date indicates that cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) benefits both preschool-aged survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) and their parents compared to nondirective supportive treatments. CBT was also found to be more effective than other treatment models for use with school-aged victims of CSA; and CBT was even more effective with adolescent victims and their parents than with the other two victim groups. For all groups, CBT has been effective in both group and individual formats. A major limitation of the research to date, however, has been that parent and child treatments are confounded in many of the studies. Differential parent-involved and child-only treatment conditions were examined in only two of the studies reviewed. Consequently, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the type and level of parental involvement necessary to treat CSA. Recommendations for future research are offered, with attention to the evaluation of a wider variety of treatment techniques, interventions at the disclosure stage, and the cultural relevance of intervention models. 47 references