Full metadata
Title
Childhood sexual abuse history: attachment, mattering, and coping among young adults
Description
The present study examined whether a history of childhood sexual abuse would be related to attachment to mother, to father, and to friends, mattering to parents and to friends, and coping behaviors. In addition, whether use of force, duration of abuse, and severity of abuse were related to perceived negative impact of childhood sexual abuse was examined. Gender differences among survivors were also investigated. Specifically, from the initial sample of 258 young adults, 186 who met the age requirement were included in the tests of the hypotheses. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 25. Compared to those with no history of childhood sexual abuse (n = 109), survivors (n = 77) reported lower attachment to father and less mattering to parents. There were no differences in attachment and mattering to friends or in emotion-focused and problem-focused coping. When gender differences were examined among survivors, females reported greater use of problem-focused coping and perceiving their childhood sexual abuse experiences as more negative than did the male survivors. There were no differences among male and female survivors of childhood sexual abuse on emotion-focused coping. Force and severity, but not duration, were linked to more negative perceptions of the childhood sexual abuse. Attachment to mother emerged as a key variable in that attachment to mother was positively related to attachment to friends, mattering to friends, and the use of problem-focused coping. Stronger attachment to mother and attachment to father, but not a history of childhood sexual abuse, were related to more perceived mattering to parents. These results highlight the importance of attachment to caregivers in developing peer attachment and a sense of mattering to friends, problem-focused coping skills, and perceiving childhood sexual abuse as having a less negative impact on their lives. Clinical and research implications and suggestions for future directions are discussed.
Date Created
2011
Contributors
- Staley, Sarah Katheryn (Author)
- Robinson Kurpius, Sharon E (Thesis advisor)
- Cabianca, William A (Committee member)
- Homer, Judith (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
Resource Type
Extent
x, 153 p
Language
eng
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.8892
Statement of Responsibility
by Sarah Katheryn Staley
Description Source
Viewed on June 20, 2012
Level of coding
full
Note
thesis
Partial requirement for: Ph. D., Arizona State University, 2011
bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. 104-128)
Field of study: Counseling psychology
System Created
- 2011-08-12 03:32:18
System Modified
- 2021-08-30 01:55:13
- 3 years 2 months ago
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