Investigating linguistic coherence relations in child sexual abuse: A comparison of PTSD and non-PTSD children

Abstract

BackgroundLanguage is the most common way to communicate internal states and emotions into a narrative form. Studies on the use of language provide a useful understanding of how people process an event and interpret it. ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PTSD on the narrative coherence of children's reports of sexual abuse. Participants and settingNarrative coherence was analyzed within a group of 89 allegations of children (M = 10; range: 4–16), who were victims of sexual abuse. Thirty-seven children presented the symptoms for a diagnosis of PTSD. MethodLinguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) was employed and narrative coherence was analyzed through some linguistic markers (first-person singular pronouns, conjunctions, and cognitive words). ResultsResults illustrated the effects of PTSD on the narrative coherence, in terms of first-person singular pronouns, conjunctions, and cognitive processes. Indeed, compared with traumatic narratives of children without PTSD, traumatic narratives of children with PTSD contained a greater number of first-person singular pronouns (MPTSD = 1.45 versus Mno-PTSD = 1.12) and a smaller number of conjunctions (MPTSD = .37 versus Mnon-PTSD = .67), cognitive (MPTSD = 2.93 versus Mnon-PTSD = 3.76) and insight words (MPTSD = 2.29 versus Mnon-PTSD = 3.09). Regression analyses were used to examine if age and PTSD were predictors of the narrative coherence, suggesting the effects of PTSD in predicting the use of the first-person singular pronouns and the conjunctions. ConclusionThis study could underline the importance of considering the PTSD in legal testimony of children who have been sexually abused.