1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The purpose of the current study was to test alexithymia as a mediator of the link between the child’s perceived attachment security to the mother and father and outcomes following CSA [child sexual abuse]. More specifically, this study aimed to examine alexithymia as a mediator of the relationship between maternal/paternal perceptions of security assessed at Time 1 and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems assessed 4 months later among school-aged victims of CSA.» (p. 68-69)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«At baseline (T1), the sample consisted of 263 sexually abused children (62.7% of girls and 37.3% of boys) [and] their parental figure. […] Families were recruited in four centers offering specialized services for victims of CSA in the province of Quebec, Canada. The current study only included children identifying two significant and non-offending caregivers. An inclusive definition of a significant parental figure was used (biological, legal tutor, or step-parent living with the child part time or full time). At the follow-up assessment four months later (T2), 196 families agreed to participate.» (p. 69)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«The results revealed that higher perceptions of security toward mothers and fathers are associated with lower levels of alexithymia as well as internalizing and externalizing problems. In addition, path analysis showed that alexithymia acted as a mediator in the relationship between perception of security toward father and both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. These findings support the relevance of considering alexithymia among child victims of CSA and underscore the important role of fathers in sustaining children’s well-being. [Bivariate analyses also showed] that both maternal and paternal perceptions of security were associated with internalizing and externalizing problems of sexually abused children […]. Similarly, the mother-child and father-child relationships were associated with victims’ level of alexithymia. […] Indeed, a secure parent-child relationship may act as a protective factor against the emergence of alexithymia. The presence of alexithymia is worrisome because it has deleterious effects on CSA victims’ adaptation by increasing the risk of displaying behavior problems. […] The data also support the relevance of alexithymia to externalizing problems, although there is a paucity of literature on this topic. [This] model offers more insight into the contribution of parental factors, showing that the perception of security toward the father outweighed the mother-child relationship in predicting alexithymia. In fact, a secure relationship with the father may help to buffer the deleterious effects of CSA.» (p. 72-73)