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Dissociation predicts later attention problems in sexually abused children.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kaplow, JB; Hall, E; Koenen, KC; Dodge, KA; Amaya-Jackson, L
Published in: Child Abuse Negl
February 2008

OBJECTIVE: The goals of this research are to develop and test a prospective model of attention problems in sexually abused children that includes fixed variables (e.g., gender), trauma, and disclosure-related pathways. METHODS: At Time 1, fixed variables, trauma variables, and stress reactions upon disclosure were assessed in 156 children aged 8-13 years. At the Time 2 follow-up (8-36 months following the initial interview), 56 of the children were assessed for attention problems. RESULTS: A path analysis involving a series of hierarchically nested, ordinary least squares multiple regression analyses indicated two direct paths to attention problems including the child's relationship to the perpetrator (beta=.23) and dissociation measured immediately after disclosure (beta=.53), while controlling for concurrent externalizing behavior (beta=.43). Post-traumatic stress symptoms were only indirectly associated with attention problems via dissociation. Taken together, these pathways accounted for approximately 52% of the variance in attention problems and provided an excellent fit to the data. CONCLUSIONS: Children who report dissociative symptoms upon disclosure of CSA and/or were sexually abused by someone within their family are at an increased risk of developing attention problems. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings from this study indicate that children who experienced sexual abuse at an earlier age, by someone within their family, and/or report symptoms of dissociation during disclosure are especially likely to benefit from intervention. Effective interventions should involve (1) providing emotion regulation and coping skills; and (2) helping children to process traumatic aspects of the abuse to reduce the cyclic nature of traumatic reminders leading to unmanageable stress and dissociation.

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Published In

Child Abuse Negl

DOI

ISSN

0145-2134

Publication Date

February 2008

Volume

32

Issue

2

Start / End Page

261 / 275

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Prospective Studies
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Observer Variation
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Faculty
  • Dissociative Disorders
  • Developmental & Child Psychology
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Kaplow, J. B., Hall, E., Koenen, K. C., Dodge, K. A., & Amaya-Jackson, L. (2008). Dissociation predicts later attention problems in sexually abused children. Child Abuse Negl, 32(2), 261–275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.07.005
Kaplow, Julie B., Erin Hall, Karestan C. Koenen, Kenneth A. Dodge, and Lisa Amaya-Jackson. “Dissociation predicts later attention problems in sexually abused children.Child Abuse Negl 32, no. 2 (February 2008): 261–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.07.005.
Kaplow JB, Hall E, Koenen KC, Dodge KA, Amaya-Jackson L. Dissociation predicts later attention problems in sexually abused children. Child Abuse Negl. 2008 Feb;32(2):261–75.
Kaplow, Julie B., et al. “Dissociation predicts later attention problems in sexually abused children.Child Abuse Negl, vol. 32, no. 2, Feb. 2008, pp. 261–75. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.07.005.
Kaplow JB, Hall E, Koenen KC, Dodge KA, Amaya-Jackson L. Dissociation predicts later attention problems in sexually abused children. Child Abuse Negl. 2008 Feb;32(2):261–275.
Journal cover image

Published In

Child Abuse Negl

DOI

ISSN

0145-2134

Publication Date

February 2008

Volume

32

Issue

2

Start / End Page

261 / 275

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
  • Prospective Studies
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Observer Variation
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Female
  • Faculty
  • Dissociative Disorders
  • Developmental & Child Psychology