SOCIAL SUPPORT AND CHILDRENS AND ADOLESCENTS ADAPTATION TO SEXUAL ABUSE

Limited research exists examining factors mitigating the negative effe cts of sexual abuse. This report, based on a sample of 154 participant s, analyzes how social support helps explain variations in child and a dolescent psychological distress at the time of sexual abuse discovery . Adolescents, compared to children, are less likely to feel supported by parents and other adult relatives, but are more likely to view fri ends as support resources. As expected, support from a parent is relat ed to less psychological distress, while the use of primarily friends for support is related to increased adjustment difficulties. The findi ngs indicate that developmental period and source of support are impor tant to consider in understanding how support functions as a protectiv e factor.