The adverse childhood experiences of caregivers of children who have been victims of sexual assault: their relationship with the parental alliance in child psychotherapy ( Experiencias adversas tempranas de cuidadores de niños/as que han sido víctimas de agresiones sexuales: su relación con la alianza parental en la psicoterapia infantil )

Abstract

The role of caregivers for the treatment of sexually assaulted children has been widely discussed. Objective: to explore the influence of caregivers’ variables and the interaction between the therapeutic alliance with their children’s psychologists, in a sample of 58 children undergoing psychotherapy for sexual assault. Method: We explore the relationship between caregivers’ adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), post-traumatic symptomatology and initial therapeutic alliance using descriptive, correlational and moderation analyses. Results: 51.7% of caregivers reported ACEs. The greater the presence of ACEs, the lower the quality of the initial therapeutic alliance. Caregivers who experienced ACEs and reported fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress presented a lower quality of therapeutic alliance. Discussion: The findings suggest that ACEs may provoke dissociative mechanisms in adults and that this appears to interfere with the emotional response to their child’s abusive experience and with the possibility of establishing a positive therapeutic alliance with the child’s therapist. This emphasizes the need that these adults have for therapeutic support as part of a comprehensive and specialized care model.