Effects of a Psychoeducational Group Intervention for Children Victims of Sexual Abuse

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Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, Volume 3, Issue 2, pp. 143-160.

Child sexual abuse may be associated with various short and long term negative outcomes. Group intervention is often the preferred treatment modality. The current study evaluates a treatment group for survivors of sexual abuse six to 12 years of age. The group combines various therapeutic activities with a psychoeducational approach. The goal of the intervention was to increase self-esteem, identify coping mechanisms and reduce social isolation. Pre-tests and post-tests were administered to children receiving the intervention, as well as to a comparison group. Depression, anxiety, self-perception, coping strategies and posttraumatic stress symptoms were measured using standardized questionnaires. The results indicate that following group therapy, children in the intervention group displayed fewer behaviour problems than the children in the comparison group and significantly lower levels of anxiety and posttraumatic stress. Measures were gathered from both child reports and parent reports. Authors suggest the study supports the effectiveness of group modalities in the treatment of sexually abused children.

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Canadian CW research
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