Purpose: The objective of this article is to describe the implementation of the Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR), a manualized, evidence-based cognitive behavioral group treatment for childhood trauma at Cedar Centre, a community-based trauma treatment center, and describe the preliminary evaluation of the…

For the adult survivor of incest, the evolution from victim to survivor occurs in complex and creative ways. Often journal writing can be a means of exposing and exploring past abuse. The process of journal writing is special in that it allows the adult survivor to break the silence and shame imposed by the perpetrator while remaining essentially…

Two studies examined the hypothesis that sexually coercive behavior is part of a larger constellation of non-sexual deviant behaviors. The first study considered the relationship between various antisocial intentions and self-reported levels of sexual aggression. As a part of a larger study, college men (N=108) responded to the Sexual Experiences…

This study was conducted to assess the effects of incest using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Women (N=81) seeking counseling for issues related to an incestuous childhood and nonsexually abused adult female counseling clients (N=90) completed the MMPI and a background information questionnaire. The groups were compared by…

In order to assess the intensity, direction, and type of self-blame and other blame in relationship to adjustment, a clinical sample of 31 women who had been sexually abused as children completed a questionnaire about their sexual abuse history, a self-blame scale that measured self- and other blame both retrospectively and currently, and three…

Several studies have shown that sexual assault may lead to psychiatric problems such as depression, fear or anxiety, substance abuse, or sexual distress. As part of an epidemiologic survey to determine base rates of mental disorder in a Los Angeles household population, 3,132 respondents were surveyed about their sexual assault experiences and use…

This paper describes a four-phase therapeutic approach that has proven useful to adult female and male survivors of child sexual abuse. The methods described are primarily used in individual therapy, although the context is within the family therapy realm and relies heavily upon Structural Family Systems Theory. The four phases which a victim…

Accuracy of adult recollections of sexual abuse were compared for adults known to have been abused about 20 years earlier and matched controls. Results from 1,196 adults indicate substantial under-reporting, gender differences in reporting and accuracy, good discriminant validity, and predictive efficiency of self-reports for women. (SLD)

Because research has focused on psychopathology rather than psychological health, little is known about how child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors escape childhood trauma unharmed. This investigation sought to identify cognitive characteristics associated with resilience following a history of CSA. The study sample of 180 women was drawn from a small,…

Current literature indicates the positive effect of a spiritual or religious orientation on recovery from alcohol abuse, drug addiction, codependency, and child sexual abuse, and as a personal control against deviant behavior in adolescents. Yet spiritual resources have been underutilized not only in prevention but in intervention programs. This…

Many recent studies have investigated the persisting negative impact of childhood and adolescent sexual victimization on later adult psychological functioning and adjustment. This study assessed psychopathology in a clinical sample of 30 women with histories of intra-familial sexual victimization, 22 women with histories of extra-familial sexual…

This paper presents clinical observations, experiences, and interventions from group psychotherapy when the main theme was molestation/sexual abuse. The findings presented are a synthesis of experiences in three areas: (1) the difficulty patients encounter when trying to disconnect with the negative effects of sexual abuse; (2) assessment and…

Past and present family relationships of a sample of 40 women who were in treatment for childhood experiences of incest were examined. The majority of the women viewed their families-of-origin as generally unhealthy in regard to various dimensions of autonomy and intimacy. Current relationships with families-of-origin were characterized by less…

The article describes a 5-day winter camping expedition experienced conjointly by two groups: one a blend of able-bodied and physically disabled adults, and the second consisting of sexually exploited adolescents who were placed in a group home setting. The first group were members of Wilderness Inquiry II, a community based adventure program that…

Analyses of deviant sexual behaviors have most often derived from psychodynamic or behavioral theory. Little systematic research attention has been paid to the role of intervening cognitive variables such as social perception and the causal attribution process. Two studies were conducted to examine differences in cognition between child molesters…