1. Objectifs

Intentions :
The general «objective of this study was to determine if CSA [child sexual abuse] is associated with more peer victimization. This overarching objective will be achieved by [c]omparing the prevalence of peer victimization of child victims of CSA and non-victims, and [d]etermining if CSA is associated with peer victimization after controlling for potential confounding variables. [T]he third objective of the study was to ascertain the association of CSA and peer victimization to internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in a group of school-aged children.» (p. 338)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«A sample of 405 sexually abused children (67.2% girls), aged 6 to 12 years old […], and their non-offending caregiver was recruited in interventions centers specialized in the treatment of CSA. Caregivers were mothers in 74.3% of the cases. […] About three quarters of the children were abused by a family member and sustained multiple CSA episodes. […] A comparison group of 127 non-sexually abused children, also aged 6–12 years […] was recruited in multiple elementary schools. Girls composed 65.4% of the sample. […] Mothers were the respondents in 86.6% of the cases.» (p. 339) «Data from this research came from a larger project on the developmental trajectories of children victims of CSA. Participants of the CSA group were recruited as they received services at one of five interventions centers located in the Province of Quebec, Canada.» (p. 340)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Results indicate that more than 75% of children report being the target of peer victimization at least sometimes, and that the prevalence varies depending on the identity of the informant. Results partially supported [the] hypothesis, as more CSA victims were found to be the target of peer victimization than their non-CSA counterparts, when peer victimization was assessed by the parent and the teacher. […] [Otherwise, results] revealed that peer victimization increases the risk of displaying internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, such as depressive and anxious symptoms, withdrawal, aggression, and delinquency, above and beyond CSA.» (p. 344) Moreover, «findings indicate that greater psychological distress of the parent was associated with heightened behavior problems of the child only when reported by the parent. It can be implied that parental distress lowers the threshold by which parents gauge their child’s behavior as being problematic. These findings provide additional support for the depression-distortion model (Richters, 1992), which posits that the informant’s depressed mood may bias their assessment of the child. According to this hypothesis, negative affect could make an informant more attentive to negative, rather than positive or neutral, information. These results stress the importance of considering parental distress as a confounding variable, especially when studying a population affected by prominent levels of distress, such as parents facing several issues following disclosure of their child.» (p. 345)