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The process of coping with domestic
violence in adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse
Griffing, S., Lewis, C.S., Chu, M., Sage, R.E., Jospitre,
T., Madry, L., and Primm, B.J. (in press). Journal of
Child Sexual Abuse.
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Research suggests that the use of disengaged or avoidant
strategies to cope with interpersonal violence contributes to the
development of depressive symptoms and other psychological difficulties.
Survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) who are exposed to subsequent
episodes of abuse may be more likely to rely on disengaged coping
strategies, placing them at elevated risk of psychological symptomatology.
In this study, we explored the interrelationships between coping,
depression and self-esteem in an ethnically diverse sample of domestic
violence survivors (N=219) with and without a history of CSA. As predicted,
CSA survivors (n=86) reported significantly greater use of disengaged
coping strategies (wishful-thinking, self-criticism and social withdrawal)
than non-CSA survivors (n=133). As hypothesized, both a CSA history
and the use of disengaged coping significantly predicted higher levels
of depression and lower self-esteem. Clinical implications of the
findings are discussed.
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