26 psychosocial adjustment of adolescent sexual abuse victims

ABSTRACT To assess adolescent psychosocial adjustment, 20 female sexual abuse victims completed the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ). The mean age of the victims was 12.9 years (9-15).

Alleged assault was intrafamilial in 13 cases lasting several months to 10 years in 7 instances, of unknown length in 5, and was an isolated event in 1 case. All extrafamilial abuse were

isolated events, committed by strangers in 5 cases and acquaintances in 2. Intercourse was alleged in 18 of the 20 cases. Results of the OSIQ demonstrated group mean scores in the poorly

adjusted range for 3 scales indicating serious problems with sexual attitudes, family relationships and feelings of inability to master the external environment. While the group mean score

for the Overall Adjustment Scale was within normal limits, 10 of the 20 girls had scores in the range indicating severe problems in adjustment; 7 of these 10 poorly adjusted individuals were

incest victims. When mean sexual abuse OSIQ scores were compared to mean OSIQ scores for adolescent patients from a general adolescent medicine clinic, a significant difference was found

only on the Sexual Attitude Scale (p<.05). While adolescent sexual abuse victims experience and report many problems and distressing conflicts that warrant intervention, we can find no

evidence to support the previous contention that these victims are uniformally seriously psychologically disturbed or represent a deviant population. ARTICLE PDF AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS

AND AFFILIATIONS * University of California, Irvine Donald P Orr, Maureen Downes & Beverly C Morgan * Department of Pediatrics, Donald P Orr, Maureen Downes & Beverly C Morgan

Authors * Donald P Orr View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Maureen Downes View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * Beverly C Morgan View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS

ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Orr, D., Downes, M. & Morgan, B. 26 PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT OF ADOLESCENT SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS. _Pediatr Res_ 15 (Suppl 4), 444 (1981).

https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00035 Download citation * Issue Date: 01 April 1981 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00035 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the

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