A study identifying factors that contribute to the problems of identification and treatment of childhood sexual abuse /
This study sought to provide information about the factors that contribute to the problems mental health professionals face when attempting to identify and treat sexual abuse. While the identification and treatment of sexual abuse has become much more prevalent during the past 30 years, survivors co...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1998.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=737703881&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | This study sought to provide information about the factors that contribute to the problems mental health professionals face when attempting to identify and treat sexual abuse. While the identification and treatment of sexual abuse has become much more prevalent during the past 30 years, survivors continue to report that they are not being helped effectively. A random sample of 500 psychologists and 500 psychiatrists was selected through the mailing lists of both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association to receive a mail-out questionnaire that included a case vignette of an individual reflecting a possible sexual abuse history and two data sheets that addressed treatment issues and diagnostic possibilities. The dependent variable was the sexual abuse rating on the treatment issues questionnaire with a range of zero to five, with zero being unimportant to the treatment of this individual to five being very important. The independent variables in this study involved the gender of the client portrayed in the vignette, the gender of the subject (therapist), the professional training of the subject e.g., Psychologist or Psychiatrist), client symptom presentation within the vignette, and the aspect of disclosure (e.g., was sexual abuse identified as a problem within the context of the vignette), and the diagnosis provided by the subject. The results found that the impact of alternative symptoms present, the direct disclosure of abuse, the gender of the client and the diagnostic conceptualization of the case presentation all impacted the importance rating for sexual abuse as a treatment issue. An important finding of the study concluded that a male client is less likely to be treated for sexual abuse issues regardless of direct disclosure of an abuse history, and particularly if a clear dependency is present. This finding was consistent across gender and profession of the subjects participating in this study. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Counseling Psychology". |
| Physical Description: | ix, 143 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 113-121. |