1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The goal of the present study is (a) to identify profiles of symptom profiles among adolescent girls who were exposed to CSA [child sexual abuse] and (b) to examine whether sociodemographic, coping strategies, peer and parent relationships, CSA-related characteristics, and other related trauma experiences can predict profile membership.» (p. 466)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
For this study, «[a]dolescent girl survivors of sexual abuse (n = 207), all aged between 12 and 18 years old [...], were recruited from four intervention centers in the province of Quebec (Canada).» (p. 466)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«The current findings revealed three distinct profiles of sexually abused teenage girls based on the complex trauma model with a PTSD [posttraumatic stress disorder] profile of high scores on the PTSD indicators (44.4%), a Resilient profile of lower scores on all indicators (36.2%), and a C-PTSD [complex posttraumatic stress disorder] profile of higher scores on all indicators (19.3%).» (p. 470) «Regarding family factors, [the] findings revealed that youth classified in the Resilient group reported greater maternal support. This is consistent with studies suggesting that a supportive stance from the nonoffending mother may serve as a buffer against detrimental outcomes following disclosure of CSA (Hébert et al., 2014; Zajac et al., 2015). Supportive reactions following the disclosure of sexual abuse may exert an influence on symptom profiles by changing appraisals and minimizing perceptions of threats (Bal et al., 2009). Surprisingly, social support from friends did not relate to the symptom profiles. Though it is known that adolescents mostly rely on informal sources of support to seek help, such as friends or family (Rickwood et al., 2007), having sustained sexual abuse has been found to negatively affect teens’ perception of their own ability to seek help (Hébert et al., 2014).» (p. 471)