Correlates and Predictors of Mothers’ Adaptation and Trauma Symptoms Following the Unveiling of the Sexual Abuse of Their Child:

Child sexual abuse (CSA) can severely affect the mental health of children and their parents. While correlates of recovery have been documented in children, factors exacerbating parents’ adaptation to their child’s unveiling of CSA deserves further attention. Parents’ history of abuse has been inconsistently identified as a predictor of their distress in reaction to their child’s abuse disclosure. This study proposes a mediation model that explores various processes underlying mother’s psychological distress (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], dissociation, and their comorbidity) following their children’s unveiling of CSA. It investigates the influence of mother’s own CSA, as well as of her exposure to additional forms of past and current victimization, on her reaction to the child’s CSA disclosure, while considering coping mechanisms as mediators (avoidance, problem solving, search for social support, and feeling of guilt). Data were collected through self-report measures completed by 298 mothers of ...