THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EMOTIONS IN THE AFFECTIVE PRESENTATION OF SEXUALLY ABUSED GIRLS

This study examined emotions and internalizing symptoms in sexually ab used females. Children seen for outpatient evaluation for sexual abuse were compared to a normative sample on measures of emotional expressi on, anxiety and depression. The outpatient sample reported higher leve ls of emotions, lower levels of depression and statistically lower lev els of anxiety as compared to non-abused peers. The outpatients also w ere compared to two inpatient samples: inpatient with no history of ab use, and inpatient with a history of abuse. Results are discussed in t erms of the need to find different ways to assess emotional adjustment of sexually abused children.