Work

Childhood sexual abuse and attachment: An intergenerational perspective

Year: 2010

Type: article

Abstract: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a recognized risk factor for various negative outcomes in adult survivors and their offspring. We used the Dynamic-Maturational Model of attachment theory as a framework for exploring the impact of maternal CSA on children's attachment relationships in the context of a longitudinal sample of adult survivors of CSA and non-abused comparison mothers and their children. Results indicated that children of CSA survivors were more likely to have extreme strategies of attachment than the children of non-abused mothers. However, because both groups were at socioeconomic risk, both were typified by anxious attachment. Explanations for findings and implications for children's development are explored.

Source: Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry

DOI: 10.1177/1359104510367590

Authors: Laura E. Kwako, Jennie G. Noll, Frank W. Putnam, Penelope K. Trickett

Institutions: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, University of Southern California

Language: English

Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development