Sleep problems and dissociation in preschool victims of sexual abuse

ABSTRACT

Objective: Child sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a host of deleterious impacts, yet little is known about the short-term correlates in children. This study aimed to investigate the association between dissociation and sleep problems in a sample of preschool-age sexual abuse victims while controlling for potentially confounding variables, including gender, age, polytrauma, CSA characteristics, and parental distress. Method: The sample consisted of 179 children (ages 3–6 years) and their non-offending parents. Parents completed questionnaires assessing their child’s dissociative symptoms and sleep problems as well as their own level of psychological distress. Results: Regression analyses revealed that sleep problems were significantly associated with dissociative symptoms over and above all other control variables (children’s gender and age, polytrauma, and parental distress). A longer duration of sexual abuse also predicted greater dissociative symptoms in preschool children. Conclusion: Findings highlight the association between sleep problems and dissociation in preschool-age victims of CSA. Further research is needed to understand their impact on children’s development to design appropriate treatment and prevention initiatives aimed at fostering resilience in young vulnerable children.

KEYWORDS:

• Child sexual abuse
• dissociation
• preschoolers
• sleep

Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the children and the parents who participated in this study and members of the Child Protection Clinic of Sainte-Justine Hospital. We also wish to thank Manon Robichaud for data management.

Funding

This research was funded by grants from the Fonds québécois de recherche sur la société et la culture and the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council awarded to Martine Hébert.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by grants from the Fonds québécois de recherche sur la société et la culture and the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council awarded to Martine Hébert.