Citation

Hebert M, Tourigny M. J. Child Adolesc. Trauma 2010; 3(2): 143.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1080/19361521003726930

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of a group intervention for child (6-12 years old) victims of sexual abuse. A sample of 51 children involved in a group psychoeducational intervention offered by a community center were contrasted to a sample of 39 children from a comparison group. Participants in the group intervention reported fewer anxiety and posttraumatic symptoms and relied less on avoidance coping to deal with the sexual abuse than children in the comparison group. The intervention was associated with fewer parent-reported behavior problems. Marginal effects were highlighted for depression and dissociation. Gender of the child, age group, and the type of abuse were not linked to outcomes. Children dropping out of treatment were perceived by parents as presenting higher behavioral problems at initial evaluation and were more likely to live in foster families.

Keywords: group intervention; program evaluation; children; sexual abuse