published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Psychology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-228). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-228). Also available on the Internet.

Using a clinical sample of 63 girls aged 5 - 16 years, the Psychoanalytic Rorschach Profile (PRP; Burke et al., 1988), a measure of drive, ego, and object relations functioning, was examined for differences between sexual abuse (SA) victims and distressed but nonabused (NA) peers. The hypothesis that the SA group would evidence more pathological, less developed levels of drive, ego, and object relations functioning than the NA group was not supported. Limitations of the use of archival data are discussed. The effects of controlling for the number of responses (R) in Rorschach research were examined by comparing entire protocols of a clinical sample of girls from 5 - 16 years of age to shortened versions which included only the first one (N = 89; R = 10) or two (N = 17; R = 20) responses to each blot. Of 12 PRP scales compared, differences between the R = 10 and entire protocols were found on 5 variables, but when R was increased to 20, only 2 differences remained. Support was given for the notion of uniform Rorschach administration in which 2 responses per card are solicited.

The role that child sexual abuse can play in girls’ involvement in prostitution, was explored in this study. Freud’s Psycho Analytical Theory, Hirschi’s Social Learning Theory and Lemert’s Labelling Theory were encompassed to formulate a model. This model is known as The Child Sexual Abuse Counter-Active Model and was designed by researcher as a theoretical framework to direct the research and serve as a basis for the interpretation of findings. This model postulates that the stage of psychosexual development wherein the abused finds herself may influence the effects the abuse has on the victim. These effects may be initial in nature or long term, and may play a contributory role in the victim entering into prostitution. The presence of social bonds namely: attachment, involvement, commitment and belief, expressed by significant others or through institutions, towards the victim, can help prevent the manifestation of negative effects within the abused. This in turn may play a conducive role in the individual withdrawing from prostitution. Once the victim of the child sexual abuse has entered into prostitution, the choice to withdraw may be influenced by the individuals’ reaction to labels bestowed upon them by significant individuals, society or institutions. If the abused responds negatively to the labelling, then an internalisation of these negative concepts may prevail and the prostitute accepts this label and remains within prostitution. However, should the labelling be experienced as positive by the prostitute then the withdrawal from prostitution may become a possibility. Thus, the withdrawal from prostitution as well as the initial entrance into prostitution is determined by the afore-mentioned factors all playing a contributory role through their presence in the sexually abused child’s life. From the interpretation of the data accumulated, it appeared that each respondent subjected to child sexual abuse, irrespective of the psychosexual developmental stage wherein the abuse occurred, exhibited initial as well as long term effects. The absence of significant institutions and individuals in attempting to prevent the entrance into prostitution as well as the role played by labelling could all account for the victims’ choice to enter into and remain within prostitution. These findings made it possible to advance practical recommendations with regard to preventing child sexual abuse. A heightening in awareness of the initial and long term effects child sexual abuse carries as well as the education required within the community could help combat this type of abuse. Professionals, professional institutions, parents and victims could also assist to prevent this crime. In addition the findings furthermore highlight subjects, which pose as possibilities for further victimological research. / Dissertation (MA (Criminology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Social Work and Criminology / Unrestricted

This survey research was designed to identify play therapy behaviors of sexually abused children. A survey instrument was developed from a comprehensive review of the professional literature and the assistance of an expert panel. After a field test, 140 items of play therapy behavior were developed into a survey instrument. The respondent was asked to rate on a Likert scale the frequency of occurrence of these play therapy behaviors of sexually abused children. Each play therapy behavior was rated for the following four groups: Males, 3-6 Years; Females, 3-6 Years; Males, 7-10 Years and Females, 7-10 Years. The entire international membership of the Association of Play Therapy (APT) was used to obtain the largest possible number of viable responses. As anticipated, of the 786 replies, 41% were not seeing sexually abused children in play therapy. In order to insure the most robust findings possible, it was determined to utilize data from the 249 most experienced play therapists (having worked with 16 or more sexually abused children). The typical respondent in this group was a female play therapist, 40-50 years of age, with a Masters degree in Counseling or Social Work.

Object representations of sexually abused girls were compared to those of a clinical control group with no history of maltreatment. In addition, girls subjected to sexual abuse by itself were compared with girls who were sexually abused in conjunction with physical abuse and/or neglect (i.e., multiply abused). TAT stories were analyzed using the Object Relations and Social Cognition Scale which assesses four dimensions of object relations. It was hypothesized that sexually abused children would manifest more general and highly pathognomic impairment than controls along four dimensions of object relations. It was also hypothesized that multiple abuse would be associated with more general and highly pathognomic impairment in object relations than sexual abuse by itself.

Using the Defense Mechanism Manual (Cramer, 1991), Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) stories of 29 sexually abused female subjects and 28 non-abused female clinical control subjects were rated for the frequency of use of denial, projection, and identification.

A dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Psychology, University of Zululand, South Africa, 2002. / The purpose of this study was to explore and uncover the levels of stress and emotional difficulties of victims of sexual abuse through their written narratives. The study involved five females who had been recently sexually abused and had sought assistance at the Empangeni Crisis Centre. In the present study, the researcher used purposive sampling in selecting the research respondents. Data was collected in a series of individual interviews during which individual assessments were also done. All interviews with the subjects were conducted in Zulu in order to avoid any misunderstanding. Qualitative data analysis was used to analyze the thematic content of the narratives to uncover the themes, attitudes, fears and hopes. The following conclusions were drawn from the study: • The written narratives of sexually abused children proved to be an important and a rich source of understanding the experiences of victims of sexual abuse. • Thoughts and feelings experienced by the research respondents including amongst others, loss of trust, anger, guilt, hatred, depression, helplessness and loss of self- esteem are not different from those expressed by individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. Most participants in this research were victims of incest. This finding confirms the work of Nevid et al., (2000) that the great majority .of assailants had some prior relationship with the child. The present study strongly implicates abuse by a parent figure, a factor also supported by the findings of Cahill, Llewelyn and Pearson (1991). In the light of the above-findings, the researcher recommends that a great deal of research is needed to enable us to understand the mechanism, processes, conditions and the many other variables in operation in the development of the kinds of problems which have been identified in children who are victims of sexual abuse.

Psychologists' diagnostic choices when the specificity of child sexual abuse in a clinical vignette is varied was examined. The degree to which Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was judged to be a viable diagnostic choice among a set of diagnoses was analyzed under conditions with sexual abuse stated, implied, not stated, and excluded. PTSD was rated as more likely for the stated and implied sexual abuse vignettes than for the not stated and excluded vignettes.