Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Texas, USA.
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina, USA.
J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol. 2024 Jul-Aug;53(4):680-689. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2022.2051527. Epub 2022 Apr 29.
Adolescents who have been sexually abused commonly experience trauma symptoms, and many are referred for trauma-based treatment. However, they sometimes spend considerable time on waitlists before beginning treatment. This study examines the course of trauma symptoms among adolescents who have been sexually abused and are waiting for treatment, and the extent to which self-blame for the abuse predicts trauma symptoms at the beginning of treatment.
Participants were 127 adolescents (89.0% female, = 13.61 years; 53.2% identified as Hispanic) at a Children's Advocacy Center in the southern United States. All had reported being sexually abused. Participants reported on their trauma symptoms and self-blame appraisals at a screening assessment (T1), and trauma symptoms were re-assessed at the beginning of treatment (T2).
The mean level of trauma symptoms declined over time for the total sample. Regression analyses indicated that greater self-blame for the abuse at T1 was associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms at T2, even when controlling for T1 trauma symptoms and other correlates of T2 trauma symptoms. Higher levels of trauma symptoms at T1 and adolescent sex (female) were also associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms at T2.
Findings suggest that assessing for self-blame for sexual abuse may be important in triage and treatment planning for youth with trauma symptoms after experiencing sexual abuse.
遭受性虐待的青少年通常会出现创伤症状，许多人会接受基于创伤的治疗。然而，他们在开始治疗之前有时需要在候补名单上等待相当长的时间。本研究考察了正在等待治疗的遭受性虐待的青少年的创伤症状的发展过程，以及对虐待的自责程度在治疗开始时对创伤症状的预测程度。
参与者为美国南部一家儿童倡导中心的 127 名青少年（89.0%为女性，= 13.61 岁；53.2%为西班牙裔）。所有人都报告曾遭受过性虐待。参与者在筛选评估（T1）时报告了他们的创伤症状和自责评估，在治疗开始时（T2）重新评估了创伤症状。
总体样本的创伤症状水平随时间呈下降趋势。回归分析表明，T1 时对虐待的自责程度越高，T2 时的创伤症状水平越高，即使控制了 T1 时的创伤症状和 T2 时的其他创伤症状相关因素也是如此。T1 时的创伤症状水平较高和青少年性别（女性）也与 T2 时的创伤症状水平较高相关。
研究结果表明，在经历性虐待后对创伤症状的青年进行分诊和治疗计划时，评估对性虐待的自责可能很重要。
