Adolescents Who Have Been Sexually Abused: Trauma Symptoms and Self-Blame while Waiting for Treatment

ABSTRACT

Objective

Adolescents who have been sexually abused commonly experience trauma symptoms, and many are referred for trauma-based treatment. However, they sometimes spend considerable time on waitlists before beginning treatment. This study examines the course of trauma symptoms among adolescents who have been sexually abused and are waiting for treatment, and the extent to which self-blame for the abuse predicts trauma symptoms at the beginning of treatment.

Method

Participants were 127 adolescents (89.0% female, M_age = 13.61 years; 53.2% identified as Hispanic) at a Children’s Advocacy Center in the southern United States. All had reported being sexually abused. Participants reported on their trauma symptoms and self-blame appraisals at a screening assessment (T1), and trauma symptoms were re-assessed at the beginning of treatment (T2).

Results

The mean level of trauma symptoms declined over time for the total sample. Regression analyses indicated that greater self-blame for the abuse at T1 was associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms at T2, even when controlling for T1 trauma symptoms and other correlates of T2 trauma symptoms. Higher levels of trauma symptoms at T1 and adolescent sex (female) were also associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms at T2.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that assessing for self-blame for sexual abuse may be important in triage and treatment planning for youth with trauma symptoms after experiencing sexual abuse.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a collaborative research grant between Dallas Children's Advocacy Center and Southern Methodist University.