THE EFFECTS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY ON BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS OF SEXUALLY ABUSED DEAF-CHILDREN

This study assessed the effectiveness of a broad based psychotherapeut ic intervention with a sample of 72 children sexually abused at a resi dential school for the deaf. An untreated comparison group emerged whe n about half of their parents refused the offer for psychotherapy prov ided by the school. Treated and untreated children were randomly assig ned to two assessment groups: those who participated in a pretreatment assessment and those who did not. Houseparents at the residential sch ool used the Child Behavior Checklist (CBC) to rate the pretreatment a ssessment children before treatment and all 72 children one year after the implementation of psychotherapy. Children receiving therapy had s ignificantly fewer behavior problems than children not receiving thera py. There was a differential response to therapy on the basis of sex. Boys receiving therapy had significantly lower scores on the following CBC scales than the no treatment group: Total, Internal, External, So matic, Uncommunicative, Immature, Hostile, Delinquent, Aggressive, and Hyperactive. There were no differences on the Schizoid and Obsessive scales. Girls receiving therapy had significantly lower scores than th e no treatment group on the following CBC scales: Total, External, Dep ressed, Aggressive, and Cruel. There were no differences on the Intern al, Anxious, Schizoid, Immature, Somatic, and Delinquent scales.