CHILD EXTRAFAMILIAL SEXUAL ABUSE - PREDICTING PARENT AND CHILD FUNCTIONING

Objective: This study evaluated the emotional and behavioral adjustmen t of parents and children within 3 months and 1 year after the discove ry of child extrafamilial sexual abuse. Method: Ninety-two case parent s (63 mothers, 29 fathers) and 56 children were compared to a nonclini cal comparison group of 136 parents (74 mothers, 62 fathers) and 75 ch ildren. Parent adjustment was assessed using self-report measures whil e child functioning was assessed using a combination of child-, parent - and teacher-report measures. Results: Mothers, fathers and sexually abused children experienced clinically significant effects both initia lly and at 12 months post-disclosure. Children's perceptions of self-b lame and guilt for the abuse and the extent of traumatization predicte d their self-reported symtomatology at 3 months and 1 year post-disclo sure. Child age and gender also significantly contributed to the predi ction of many of the child outcome measures. No abuse-related variable was related to any child self-report measure. Mothers' satisfaction i n the parenting role, perceived support and intrusive symptoms predict ed their initial emotional functioning. Avoidant symptoms, child's int ernalizing behavior and mothers' initial emotional functioning were si gnificant predictors of longer-term emotional functioning. Conclusions : Results emphasize the need to address children's abuse-related attri butions and underscore the need to expand our focus beyond the child v ictims to the traumatized families. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.