Date of Award

1-1-2012

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Psychology

Program

Clinical Psychology

Content Description

1 online resource (viii, 129 pages) : illustrations.

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Hazel M. Prelow

Committee Members

Leslie Halpern, Elana Gordis

Keywords

child sexual abuse, delinquency, depression, risk, social support, substance use, Sexually abused children, Child sexual abuse, Juvenile delinquency

Subject Categories

Clinical Psychology

Abstract

Drawing upon multiple waves of data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW), the present study sought to examine the longitudinal relations among socioenvironmental risk, social support, peer rejection, and various mental health outcomes (e.g., depressive symptoms, substance use, and involvement in delinquent acts) in a sample of 269 sexually maltreated youth between the ages of 10 and 14 at Wave 1. Research has demonstrated relationships among child sexual abuse, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing symptoms. However, much of what is known about the association between child sexual abuse and psychopathology has come from studies in which child sexual abuse is characterized as the primary determinant of subsequent difficulties. It was hypothesized that socioenvironmental risk at Wave 1 will influence depressive symptomatology, substance use, and involvement in delinquent acts at Wave 4 indirectly through peer rejection at Wave 3 and that the magnitude of the indirect effects are dependent upon social support at Wave 1. Overall, the hypothesized models were unsupported for the outcomes examined in the present study, depressive symptoms, substance use, and involvement in delinquent acts. However, specific paths were supported in the present study. Notably, socioenvironmental risk at Wave 1 was significantly associated with depressive symptoms and substance use at Wave 4, and peer rejection at Wave 3 was associated with depressive symptoms and involvement in delinquent acts at Wave 4. In addition, peer rejection at Wave 3 fully mediated the relation between socioenvironmental risk at Wave 1 and depressive symptoms at Wave 4 among females; however, this effect was no longer observed after accounting for initial levels of depressive symptoms. The findings of the present study have implications for future research and the development of interventions aimed at providing assistance and support to sexually maltreated youth and their families.

Download

Share

COinS