IS ADAPTIVE COPING POSSIBLE FOR ADULT SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE

Thirty adult women survivors of childhood sexual abuse who believed th ey were functioning well were selected through advertisements in local newspapers and presentations at an incest-survivor support group. Sub jects were assessed by a battery of structured diagnostic interviews a nd standardized psychological measures, including the MMPI, the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale. The res ults showed the existence of a subgroup of survivors of childhood sexu al abuse who do not have devastating long-term psychological effects, Better adult psychological functioning was predicted by certain charac teristics of the abuse, the family system, and the survivors.