Relationship to perpetrator and posttraumatic symptomatology among sexual abuse survivors

This study investigated the association of several dimensions of relationsh ip to perpetrator of childhood sexual abuse to posttraumatic symptomatology in adulthood. A structured clinical interview, the impact of Event Scale, and the TSC-40 were administered to 67 women survivors seeking psychotherap y. The t-tests for significant differences indicated that subjects whose pe rpetrators Mere not caretakers experienced higher levels of posttraumatic s ymptomatology (PTS) in adulthood than those abused by caretakers. No signif icant differences were found in traumatic symptomatology between those whos e perpetrators were family members and those whose perpetrators were not or between those abused by someone in the home and those abused by someone ou tside the household Implications for future research and clinical practice are explored.