Interventions for Sexually abused Children: Initial Treatment Outcome Findings

Abstract

This study evaluated treatment outcome for 49 recently sexually abused children aged 7-14, who were randomly assigned to receive either sexual abuse-specific cognitive behavioral therapy (SAS-CBT) or nondirective supportive therapy (NST). Respondents and their nonoffending parent were provided with 12 individual treatment sessions, which were closely monitored for adherence to the assigned treatment modality. Participants and parents completed several standardized assessment instruments pre- and posttreatment. Results indicated that there was a significant group-by-time interaction on the Children's Depression Inventory and the Child Behavior Checklist Social Competence Scale, with the SAS-CBT group improving more than the NST group on both of these instruments. Clinical findings also suggested that SAS-CBT was more effective than NST in treating sexually inappropriate behaviors. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.