GROUP WORK INTERVENTION WITH FEMALE SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE

Closed process groups (15 sessions) cofacilitated by experienced post- MSW female social workers within a generalist problem-solving framewor k were offered to 115 survivors of childhood sexual abuse. This quasi- experimental study compared group work intervention with a waiting-lis t comparison group on measures of depression and self-esteem. Survivor s who completed the group work intervention (86.6%) were significantly less depressed and had significantly improved self-esteem as compared with their wait-listed counterparts. Consistent across the three outc ome measures at immediate posttest, nearly three quarters of the inter vention group members' scores were less than the waiting-list group's average score. At 6-month follow-up (75.6% completed), the positive ef fects tended to be even larger.