This study examines the psychological and biological effects of sexual abuse on female children and adolescents. The main hypotheses being tested are that (1) as compared with nonabused girls, sexually abused girls will have a more difficult transition thorough puberty which may adversely affect subsequent development; (2) sexual abuse alters hormonal levels and affects the timing of puberty; and (3) as compared with nonabused girls, sexually abused girls will maintain higher levels of dissociation into adolescence and adulthood. A multimethod approach to data collection includes Tanner staging of pubertal stage; assaying of salivary hormonal levels; standardized tests and interviews of the child and parent; observation or parent-child interaction; and records from teachers, schools, and-other agencies. Subjects are 86 sexually abused females and their ( non-abusing) mothers and 82 demographically similar non-abused females and their mothers. At time of entry into the initial study, the girls ranged from 6 to 15 years of age with a median age of 11. A cross-sequential design has been employed and both cross sectional and longitudinal date collected. In the original study, there were three times of measurement (Time 1, Time 2, and Time 3) at yearly intervals. This continuation proposal is for two more times of measurement, two years apart when the median age of the sample will be 16 and 18. This would result in two important additions to the original study. (1) By the 2nd assessment (Time 5), essentially all subjects will have reached menarche and thus the hypotheses concerning the mediating role of puberty in adjustment, the timing of and rate of progression through puberty, etc., can be more adequately tested. (2) By Time 5, about half the sample will be young adults. Thus, it will be possible to examine long term impact of sexual abuse and certain outcomes (e.g., possible educational attenuation, early childbearing, and parenting problems) that could not be examined when the subjects were younger.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01MH048330-08
Application #
2883364
Study Section
Violence and Traumatic Stress Review Committee (VTS)
Program Officer
Boyce, Cheryl A
Project Start
1991-09-30
Project End
2002-02-28
Budget Start
1999-03-01
Budget End
2002-02-28
Support Year
8
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Southern California
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
041544081
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90089
Kim, Kihyun; Trickett, Penelope K; Putnam, Frank W (2011) Attachment representations and anxiety: differential relationships among mothers of sexually abused and comparison girls. J Interpers Violence 26:498-521
Trickett, Penelope K; Noll, Jennie G; Putnam, Frank W (2011) The impact of sexual abuse on female development: lessons from a multigenerational, longitudinal research study. Dev Psychopathol 23:453-76
Shenk, Chad E; Noll, Jennie G; Putnam, Frank W et al. (2010) A prospective examination of the role of childhood sexual abuse and physiological asymmetry in the development of psychopathology. Child Abuse Negl 34:752-61
Negriff, Sonya; Noll, Jennie G; Shenk, Chad E et al. (2010) Associations between nonverbal behaviors and subsequent sexual attitudes and behaviors of sexually abused and comparison girls. Child Maltreat 15:180-9
Kim, Kihyun; Trickett, Penelope K; Putnam, Frank W (2010) Childhood experiences of sexual abuse and later parenting practices among non-offending mothers of sexually abused and comparison girls. Child Abuse Negl 34:610-22
Trickett, Penelope K; Noll, Jennie G; Susman, Elizabeth J et al. (2010) Attenuation of cortisol across development for victims of sexual abuse. Dev Psychopathol 22:165-75
Noll, Jennie G; Shenk, Chad E; Yeh, Michele T et al. (2010) Receptive language and educational attainment for sexually abused females. Pediatrics 126:e615-22
Barnes, Jaclyn E; Noll, Jennie G; Putnam, Frank W et al. (2009) Sexual and physical revictimization among victims of severe childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse Negl 33:412-20
Noll, Jennie G; Schulkin, Jay; Trickett, Penelope K et al. (2007) Differential pathways to preterm delivery for sexually abused and comparison women. J Pediatr Psychol 32:1238-48
Bonanno, George A; Colak, Deniz M; Keltner, Dacher et al. (2007) Context matters: the benefits and costs of expressing positive emotion among survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Emotion 7:824-37

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