Grant: Operating Grant

The main objective of this research program is to document the health outcomes of children disclosing sexual abuse in regards more specifically to post traumatic stress symptoms. Our specific aims are first to test a conceptual model of outcomes linking characteristics of the sexual abuse experienced (duration, severity and identity of the perpetrator) with classic post-traumatic stress symptoms (re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance and hyperarousal) and complex post-traumatic symptoms (for instance, alterations in social relations, in regulation of affects and in self-perceptions). The longitudinal design of the study will allow for the exploration of distinctive trajectories of symptoms over a 24-month period after disclosure: chronic difficulties, delayed response to trauma, recovery and resilience. Our research program will also test the influence of two variables that may impact on symptoms over time: the child's coping strategies and the child's perception of security in regards to their relationhips with caregivers. Questionnaires will be administered to children (6-12 years) and their mothers who are consulting following disclosure in five different facilities offering services to children victims of sexual abuse. This research plan will generate reliable and useful data to better understand the complex phenomenon of child sexual abuse and to provide needed cues for the design of efficient intervention programs. Documentation of consequences of sexual victimization will provide crucial information to health planning agencies in terms of needed services. This information will contribute to the implementation of adapted early intervention programs for vulnerable children that could be associated with a substantial reduction in health costs.