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Psychosocial Factors Influencing Competency of Children's Statement on Sexual Trauma

NCJ Number
234526
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 35 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2011 Pages: 173-179
Author(s)
Tae Kyung Kim; Soul Choi; Yee Jin Shin
Date Published
March 2011
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study assessed Korean child sex abuse victims' competence to describe their traumatic experience and identified psychosocial factors that influence the competency of children's statements about their abuse, such as emotional factors in child victims and their parents.
Abstract
The study found that scores on the modified Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA), which was used to assess children's statements, did not differ according to children's level of depression and anxiety. Children with parents who showed supportive reactions to their children's trauma scored significantly higher on the modified-CBCA scores than those with unsupportive parents. Children with severely depressed parents had lower modified-CBCA scores than those children with less depressed parents. Modified-CBCA scores were significantly higher in participants who experienced a single traumatic event compared with those who had multiple victimizations; however, the severity of sexual abuse, relationship with the perpetrator, types of disclosure, and duration of initial disclosure did not show significant differences in the capability to make statements about their victimization experience. These findings suggest that the promotion of parental support of sexually abused children through psychoeducation is one of the most import interventions for helping children overcome psychological trauma. Parental support can also contribute to the accuracy of children's statements about their abuse. The study enrolled 214 children (ages 8-13) who visited "Sunflower Children's Center" for sexual abuse. Children's parents were surveyed using the Beck Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in order to obtain demographic information, traumatic-event profiles, and a self-report scale. Children completed the following psychological measures: Children's Depression Inventory, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Traumatic Symptom Checklist for Children. The modified-CBCA was used to assess children's statements. ANOV, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation were used. 4 tables and 38 references