1 - (SYM 27) Importance of Protective Factors in Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Presenting to Treatment at a Child Advocacy Center

Research has thoroughly examined the adverse psychosocial effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) for survivors, consistently highlighting a subgroup with fewer negative outcomes (e.g., Yancey et al., 2013). However, factors contributing to resilience are less examined. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine protective factors and mental health difficulties in youth and their non-offending caregivers presenting for treatment following CSA. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory posits that each level of an individual’s environment contributes to overall development and well-being. This study included child- (e.g., self-esteem, attribution style) and family-level (e.g., family cohesion and coping) protective factors.

Project SAFE (Sexual Abuse Family Education) is a 12-week cognitive-behavioral group treatment program developed and delivered in collaboration with a local Child Advocacy Center. Participants were 337 youth and non-offending caregivers presenting to Project SAFE treatment. Youth were 7 to 18 (M = 11.75, SD = 2.95), 81.6% female, and 75.4% White. Caregiver-report measures were also used.

Initial analyses (i.e., bivariate correlations and multiple regressions) revealed significant relationships among all protective factors and mental health domains (i.e., depression, anxiety, PTSD, and parent-reported symptoms). For example, with child-reported depression, self-esteem (r = -.687, p < .001) and attribution style (r = .572; p < .001) were correlated with protective factors in the expected direction and a multiple regression model with all six protective factors as predictors for depression produced R² = .570; F(6, 119) = 26.25; p < .001. Cluster analyses of protective factors were then conducted to examine subgroups of youth and caregivers presenting to treatment. Hierarchical cluster analyses for child- and family-level protective factors suggested a three-cluster model at each level, which the k-means clusters confirmed. This presentation will include additional analyses to further characterize the clusters and their relationship with reported child mental health symptoms.

Survivors of CSA who report subclinical psychopathology presented with more protective factors. Understanding and enhancing these protective factors in those with a CSA history may be important to buffer mental health symptom development and inform community services and policy. Opportunities and challenges associated with community-based service delivery and data collection will be discussed.