![[ Visit Client Website ]](images/banner.gif)
Child abuse is associated with a number of negative psychosocial outcomes including mental health problems, substance abuse, and interpersonal violence. Yet, some children are resilient; they “adapt well” despite trauma histories and difficult circumstances (Wagnild & Young, 1993; Wingo et al., 2010). In adults, resiliency mitigates some effects of child abuse and neglect; for example, resilient individuals who experienced maltreatment in childhood are less likely to experience mental health problems and substance abuse in adulthood compared to those with low resiliency (Edwards et al., 2014; Wingo et al., 2014). However, the role of resiliency as a protective factor in an adolescent sample is not well studied. The present study examined resiliency and behavioral and mental health outcomes in adolescent girls involved in child welfare. The study explored the following questions: 1) Does resiliency vary according to demographic differences? 2) Is there an association between resiliency and negative mental health and behavioral outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, or revictimization? 3) Does resiliency moderate the relationship between child maltreatment (physical and sexual abuse) and negative mental health and behavioral outcomes?
Methods
The study used baseline data from 241 adolescent girls interviewed as part of a trauma-focused CBT study. Participants were ages 12 – 19 years (mean = 14.9, SD = 1.6), and youths of color (76%) and white (24%). The interview included Bernstein & Fink’s (1998) Childhood Trauma Questionnaire to measure maltreatment (physical and sexual abuse) and the RS-14 to measure resiliency (Wagnild, 2011). Dependent variables included PTSD (Foa, 2001), substance use (8 items), and revictimization (physical, verbal, and relational) (18 items) (Dahlberg et al, 2005). Data analyses included descriptive statistics, correlations, multiple regression, and moderation analyses (Hayes, 2013).
Results
In the adolescent sample, resiliency was not significantly associated with age, race, living situation, or substance use. However, higher levels of resiliency were associated with lower PTSD symptoms (p < 0.001) and experiencing less revictimization (p < 0.01). Results indicated that resiliency had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and PTSD (β = -0.01, p < 0.05) and on the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and revictimization (β = -0.03, p < 0.05). The Johnson-Newman technique demonstrated that the relationship between sexual abuse and PTSD became nonsignificant when resiliency scores were nearly one standard deviation above the mean (at or above the 82ndpercentile). A resiliency score half of one standard deviation above the mean was required for the relationship between sexual abuse and revictimization to become nonsignificant. No significant interactions emerged in the relationship between sexual abuse and substance abuse or in the relationship between physical abuse and any of the outcome variables.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that resiliency serves as an important protective factor in the relationship between child sexual abuse and its effects on PTSD and revictimization during adolescence. Trauma-informed services and trauma-focused treatments should strive to strengthen resiliency to prevent negative outcomes in children who experience sexual abuse.