1. Objectifs

Intentions :
In this article, the authors « [...] study family sexuality, parental neglect, verbal abuse, and physical and sexual abuse as possible predictors of PSB [problematic sexual behaviors] and EP [externalizing problems]. » (p. 360)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The authors « [...] hypothesized that sexual abuse and family sexuality would be a better predictor of PSB, whereas other forms of maltreatment, such as physical abuse, would be more strongly associated with EP. » (p. 360)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’échantillon est issu d’une étude menée par Pauzé et al. en 2004. L’échantillon choisi pour la présente étude comprend les familles de 188 enfants, âgés de 6 à 11 ans et référés au service de protection de la jeunesse du Québec.

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

« Our results suggest that PSB and EP share a partial common etiology, as they differ on some factors but are similar on others. In fact, the results confirm to a certain extent our isomorphism hypothesis: When EP and gender are controlled, young age, explicit family sexuality, and presence of verbal abuse predict PSB, whereas when PSB and gender are controlled, presence of neglect and verbal abuse predict EP. Indeed, PSB seems to be more strongly associated with family sexuality, whereas EP is with neglect: Presence of verbal abuse is the only significant predictor common to PSB and EP. Moreover, the relation observed here between PSB and EP is only moderate, which militates in favor of the hypothesis that the two are distinct. However, these results are mitigated by the data showing that most children with PSB also present EP (85%). » (p. 365)