Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties in Sexually Abused Girls

This study investigated the kinds of emotional and behavioral difficulties exhibited by sexually abused girls. Ninety-four sexually abused girls ages 6-12 were compared with 89 clinical controls and 75 normal controls. Assessment measures included the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC), the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale, and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL parent version). All findings with the self-report measures were nonsignificant except on the STAIC A-State scale in which abused subjects were significantly more anxious than both control groups. On the CBCL, the sexually abused girls and clinical controls were significantly more pathological than the normal controls on the total behavior problems scale, internalizing and externalizing scales, social competence scales, and seven of nine subscales. Subgroup analysis of the sexually abused group (e.g., intra- versus extra-familial abuse, etc.) did not result in any significant findings. Findings are compared with those from other recent empirically sound investigations in the child sexual abuse field.