Contrary to much of the literature, this study found that parental support was poorly related to children's outcomes after sexual abuse. The child's perception of the quality of the parent/child relationship was the best predictor of parent-assessed and child-assessed outcome, especially the latter. These are problematic findings because they challenge the profession's current understanding of parental support. Further research is needed in order to better understand what portions of the parent's relationship with the child are more important in understanding the sequelae of sexual abuse in children and to further clarify the relationship of attachment to symptom manifestation. Until such research has been conducted, the authors advise caution in the assessment of parental support and decisions made based upon that interpretation. The sample consisted of 90 children and their parents. The children were distinguished by abuse severity, with 77 percent of children having experienced attempted or actual penetration by their abusers. Forty-two percent experienced abuse for more than 1 year, and another 31 percent experienced abuse for between 1 month and 1 year. Parents were interviewed by the physician/nurse examiner and social workers about the abuse, after which the primary caregiver completed the Child Behavior Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, and Relationship Questionnaire. The child was then interviewed by the physician/nurse examiner, after which the Trauma Symptom checklist for Children and Relatedness Scale were administered. 3 tables and 57 references