Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in Child Sexual Abuse Victims and Their Mothers

Abstract

ABSTRACT Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in children who reported sexual abuse, and their mothers, were compared for children in two groups: children whose mothers reported having been sexually abused as a child and children whose mothers did not report sexual victimization. Rates of PTSD symptoms are comparable to the rates found in previous studies, with over half of the sexually abused children displaying PTSD symptoms. The two group of children were equivalent on presence of PTSD symptoms. More mothers victimized as children suffer PTSD when their children report being sexually abused. Although both children and mothers displayed PTSD sexually abused. Although both children and mothers displayed PTSD symptoms, mother-child pairs when examined as a unit did not reliably exhibit PTSD symptoms.