Predictors of treatment outcome in sexually abused children

Problem: This study evaluated the impact of child and family characteristic s on treatment outcome of sexually abused children. Method: Forty-nine recently sexually abused 7- to 14-year-old children were randomly assigned to either abuse-focused cognitive behavioral therapy or nondirective supportive therapy, and assessed pre- and post-treatment using several standardized instruments. These included five measures of psycholo gical symptomatology and four measures of child and family characteristics hypothesized to mediate treatment response. Correlational and multiple regr ession analyses were utilized to evaluate the impact of the following media ting factors on treatment outcome: Children's abuse-related attributions an d perceptions; family cohesion and adaptability; parental support of the ch ild; and parental emotional reaction to the child's abuse. Results: Children's abuse-related attributions and perceptions and parental support of the child were strong predictors of treatment outcome in this p opulation. Conclusions: Therapeutic attention to children's sexual abuse-related attri butions and to enhancing parental support may be important factors in optim izing treatment outcome in 8- to 14-year-old sexually abused children. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.