Retreat Intervention Effectiveness for Female Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Purpose: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a widespread issue that can have detrimental effects on adult well-being. As demand for CSA treatment is high, it is important for clinicians to understand what forms of interventions are effective. Method: This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of a 4-day retreat intervention for 986 adult female CSA survivors. Multilevel growth curve modeling was used to analyze treatment group effects, and paired-sample t tests were used for the wait-list group. Results: The intervention significantly reduced post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (Cohen’s d = 0.69) and increased life satisfaction (Cohen’s d = 0.98), social support (Cohen’s d = 0.20), and coping self-efficacy (Cohen’s d = 1.14); these changes were maintained 1-year postintervention. The wait-list group did not report statistically significant changes across time. Discussion: Findings suggest retreat interventions may be a promising form of CSA treatment and encourage more empirical work on retreat interventions across diverse samples and settings.