Rayleen V. De Luca

Male sexual abuse: A review of effects, abuse characteristics, and links with later psychological functioning

Despite the increasing awareness of sexual victimization involving males, there remain a number of factors (e.g., stigma of homosexuality, male ethic of self-reliance) that continue to contribute to the underreporting of such cases. Nonetheless, there appears to be growing recognition of male sexual abuse as a serious problem with potentially numerous debilitating consequences. The clinical and research literature presently contains a number of articles on issues pertaining to males who have experienced sexual abuse during childhood. The purpose of the present paper is to review some of the more recent literature on the short- and long-term effects commonly found among sexually abused males. These effects, which include depression, self-blame, low self-esteem, anger, anxiety, and sexuality problems, are also compared with findings commonly reported among sexually abused females. In addition to sexual abuse effects, the present paper also reviews a number of important sexual abuse characteristics (e.g., age of abuse onset, duration of the abuse, nature of the sexual activity), examines the relationship of these characteristics to later psychological functioning, and explores gender similarities and differences. Finally, the implications of the findings with regard to treatment interventions are briefly discussed.

Female perpetrators of child sexual abuse: A review of the clinical and empirical literature

Although women have long been viewed as offenders in cases of physical child abuse, it is only recently that clinicians and researchers have begun to seriously consider the problem of female-perpetrated sexual abuse of children. The purpose of the present paper is to review existing clinical and empirical literature on female sex offenders, in order to develop a summary profile of female perpetrators that may be of value to professionals involved in the assessment and treatment process.

A comparison of relaxation training and competing response training to eliminate hair pulling and nail biting

A 17-year-old female with a 14-year history of hair pulling and nail biting was treated with relaxation training and competing response training. While introduction of relaxation training produced an initial decline in hair pulling, there was a gradual recovery of the maladaptive behavior to baseline levels. The competing response procedure consisted of clenching fists for 3 min whenever hair pulling or nail biting occurred or were likely to occur. By the use of the competing response hair pulling and nail biting decreased, eventually to zero. Follow-up over a 2-year period revealed that the treatment effects were maintained.

Group Treatment for Sexually Abused Preadolescent Boys

Group treatment programs are a common intervention for children who have been sexually abused. However, empirical literature demonstrating their effectiveness, particularly among preadolescent males, is scarce. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of semistructured group work with six preadolescent boys who had experienced either extra- or intrafamilial sexual abuse. From pre- to postgroup, the boys experienced decreased anxiety, decreased depression, increased self-esteem, and decreased internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Further gains were generally observed from postgroup to follow-up. The success of the group-treatment program is attributed, in part, to the implementation of a reward program designed to reduce disruptive behavior.

The Implications of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Adult Social Behavior

Research indicates that childhood sexual abuse creates many long-term psychological difficulties, which may impair social behavior. These problems include anxiety, fear, depression, self-hatred, alienation, and suicidal tendencies. It was hypothesized that childhood sexual abuse would produce impaired social behavior in adults sexually abused as children. Two hundred and twenty-two male and female introductory psychology students from the University of Manitoba completed the Rand Corporations Social Health Battery amplpar1978amprpar;, Linns Social Dysfunction Rating Scale (1969), and a shortened version of Finkelhors Sexual Victimization Survey (1979). Participants who experienced childhood sexual abuse exhibited impaired social behavior, which included fewer friends and social contacts, and more social adjustment problems. The importance of early intervention for children who experienced sexual abuse was discussed.

Self-esteem, anxiety, and loneliness in preadolescent girls who have experienced sexual abuse

This study sought to clarify and extend existing knowledge of the negative sequelae of sexual abuse by comparing levels of self-esteem, anxiety, and loneliness in abused and nonabused girls. Comparisons indicated that sexually abused children had lower levels of self-esteem than nonabused children, but that levels of anxiety and loneliness did not differ between the groups. These findings empirically confirm one of the sequelae of sexual abuse commonly cited in the clinical literature and point to the need for interventions designed to redress this adverse effect.

Group Treatment for Sexually Abused Girls: Evaluating Outcome

Although many articles advocate treatment for child victims of sexual abuse, few studies have examined the effects of such treatment. The authors evaluated the effectiveness of group treatment for seven- to nine-year-old girls who had been sexually abused. The usefulness of parent-report and self-report measures in assessing therapeutic change was also examined. Findings support the hypothesis that group treatment decreases problem behaviors as reported by parents. The findings of the self-report data, however, were inconsistent. Implications for the measurement of therapeutic change in young sexually abused children are discussed.

The relationship between childhood physical abuse and adult attachment styles

The purpose of the study was to identify the insecure adult attachment style associated with childhood physical abuse. Five hundred fifty-two female and 294 male university students completed questionnaires on their child abuse history, adult attachment style, and other variables. Regression analyses were completed. A history of physical abuse was associated with attachment avoidance while controlling for other forms of childhood abuse. Some support was also found for an association between physical abuse and attachment anxiety. Social support, as a control variable, was found to be an important predictor of attachment avoidance and attachment anxiety. A history of childhood physical abuse has important and specific impacts on intimate adult relationships with social support acting as a possible protective factor.

Characteristics of Perpetrators with Histories of Sexual Abuse

The literature suggests that the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among sexual perpetrators is higher than that found among the general male population. However, there is a paucity of empirical research comparing sexual perpetrators to other perpetrators and community samples. Research on the specific characteristics of sexual abuse experiences is limited. 7he purpose of the present exploratory study was to further examine the cycle of sexual abuse in a sample of 42 males with histories of sexual abuse. Sexual perpetrators, nonsexual perpetrators, and nonperpetrators completed a sexual victimization survey on the nature of their abuse experiences. Findings revealed a considerably higher prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among sexual perpetrators with the abuse generally being more extensive and severe in nature. Results appear to lend support to the sexual abuse cycle and may have important implications for clinicians and researchers involved in the sexual abuse area

Group therapy for boys who have experienced sexual abuse: Is it the treatment of choice?

Although a growing body of evidence suggests that sexual abuse of boys is a serious and prevalent problem and that abuse may have a range of negative mental health effects, very little attention has been focused on the treatment of victimized males. The present study was designed to assess, through the use of behavioral measures, the utility of a group therapy program for boys who have experienced sexual abuse. Twelve boys, aged 7 to 10, participated in the study. Six of the boys were involved in a 12-week group treatment program at the University of Manitoba, while the remaining six children were assigned to a wait-list comparison group. Measures of various behavioral problems, including sexualized behavior, were completed by childrens caregivers during pre- and post-treatment assessments. It was hypothesized that boys receiving group therapy would experience improvements in measured behavior over the course of the group intervention, and that improvements would be greater than those of boys in the wait-list comparison group. Analyses indicated that children in the treatment condition did experience improvements over the course of the intervention, although the effects of the treatment program varied considerably from child to child. Implications of the findings are discussed and suggestions are offered regarding future work with boys who have experienced sexual abuse.