26 psychosocial adjustment of adolescent sexual abuse victims


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ABSTRACT To assess adolescent psychosocial adjustment, 20 female sexual abuse victims completed the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ). The mean age of the victims was 12.9 years (9-15).


Alleged assault was intrafamilial in 13 cases lasting several months to 10 years in 7 instances, of unknown length in 5, and was an isolated event in 1 case. All extrafamilial abuse were


isolated events, committed by strangers in 5 cases and acquaintances in 2. Intercourse was alleged in 18 of the 20 cases. Results of the OSIQ demonstrated group mean scores in the poorly


adjusted range for 3 scales indicating serious problems with sexual attitudes, family relationships and feelings of inability to master the external environment. While the group mean score


for the Overall Adjustment Scale was within normal limits, 10 of the 20 girls had scores in the range indicating severe problems in adjustment; 7 of these 10 poorly adjusted individuals were


incest victims. When mean sexual abuse OSIQ scores were compared to mean OSIQ scores for adolescent patients from a general adolescent medicine clinic, a significant difference was found


only on the Sexual Attitude Scale (p<.05). While adolescent sexual abuse victims experience and report many problems and distressing conflicts that warrant intervention, we can find no


evidence to support the previous contention that these victims are uniformally seriously psychologically disturbed or represent a deviant population. ARTICLE PDF AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS


AND AFFILIATIONS * University of California, Irvine Donald P Orr, Maureen Downes & Beverly C Morgan * Department of Pediatrics, Donald P Orr, Maureen Downes & Beverly C Morgan


Authors * Donald P Orr View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Maureen Downes View author publications You can also search for this author


inPubMed Google Scholar * Beverly C Morgan View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS


ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Orr, D., Downes, M. & Morgan, B. 26 PSYCHOSOCIAL ADJUSTMENT OF ADOLESCENT SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS. _Pediatr Res_ 15 (Suppl 4), 444 (1981).


https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00035 Download citation * Issue Date: 01 April 1981 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00035 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the


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