Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

As noted by the DSM-IV, “...the severity and pattern of response [to trauma] may be modulated by cultural differences” such as “culturally prescribed coping behaviors that are characteristic of particular cultures” (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 430). As such, outcomes of sexual abuse (i.e., symptomatology) may differ between ethnic groups. This study examined symptomatology reported in survey data obtained from a clinical sample of 138 female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Seventy-eight respondents were Caucasian, whereas 60 were of Native Canadian ancestry. Native Canadian women reported significantly higher levels of overall symptomatology than Caucasian women following sexual abuse, F(137, 1) = 5.57, p <.05. In addition, levels of symptoms reported on the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 did not vary equally in Native Canadian and Caucasian samples. Native Canadian individuals reported significantly higher levels of somatic, sexual, and sleep-related symptoms than Caucasians. The clinical implications of these findings are examined.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Psychiatric Association . (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Blume, E. S. (1990). Secret survivors: Uncovering incest and its aftermath in women. New York: John Wiley.

Briere, J. , & Runtz, M. (1989). The Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC-33): Early data on a new scale. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 4, 151-163.

Briere, J. , & Runtz, M. (1993). Symptomatology associated with childhood sexual victimization in a non-clinical adult sample. Child Abuse and Neglect, 12, 51-59.

Briere, J. , & Zaidi, L. Y. (1989). Sexual abuse histories and sequelae in female psychiatric emergency room patients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 602-606.

Comrey, A. L. (1973). A first course in factor analysis. New York: Academic Press.

Daniluk, J. C. , & Haverkamp, B. (1993). Ethical issues in counseling adult survivors of incest. Journal of Counseling and Development, 72, 16-22.

Elliott, D. M. (1990). The effects of childhood sexual experiences on adult functioning in a national sample of professional women. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Rosemead School of Psychology, La Mirada, California.

Elliott, D. M. , & Briere, J. (1991). Studying the long-term effects of sexual abuse: The Trauma Symptom Checklist (TSC) scales. In A. Wolberg Burgess (Ed.), Rape and sexual assault III: A research handbook. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc.

10.

Elliott, D. M. , & Briere, J. (1992). Sexual abuse trauma among professional women: Validating the Trauma Symptom Checklist—40 (TSC—40). Child Abuse and Neglect, 16(3), 391-398.

11.

Elliott, D. M. , & Gabrielson, D. L. (1990, August). Impaired object relations in professional women molested as children. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles.

12.

Herman, J. L. (1992). Complex PTSD: A syndrome of survivors of prolonged and repeated trauma. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5, 377-392.

13.

Koss, M. , & Gidycz, C. (1985). Sexual Experiences Survey: Reliability and validity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 422-423.

14.

Koss, M. , & Oros, C. (1982). The Sexual Experiences Survey: A research instrument investigating sexual aggression and victimization. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 455-457.

15.

LaRocque, E. D. (1994). Violence in Aboriginal communities. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

16.

Longman, R. S. , Cota, A. A. , Holden, R. R. , & Fekken, G. C. (1989). A regression equation for the parallel analysis criterion in principle components analysis: Mean and 95th percentile eigenvalues. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 24, 59-69.

17.

McEvoy, M. , & Daniluk, J. (1995). Wounds to the soul: The experiences of Aboriginal women survivors of sexual abuse. Canadian Psychology, 36, 221-235.

18.

Meichenbaum, D. (1994). A clinical handbook/practical therapist manual for assessing and treating adults with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: Institute Press.

19.

The Nechi Institute . (1988). Healing is possible: A joint statement on the healing of sexual abuse in native communities. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: Ministry of Native Affairs.

20.

Peters, S. (1988). Child sexual abuse and later psychological problems. In G. E. Wyatt & G. J. Powell (Eds.), Lasting effects of child sexual abuse (pp. 121-143). Newbury Park, CA.: Sage.

21.

Ratican, K. L. (1992). Sexual abuse survivors: Identifying symptoms and special treatment considerations. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, 33-39.

22.

Savishinsky, J. S. (1991). The ambiguities of alcohol: Deviance, drinking, and meaning in a Canadian native community. Anthropologica, 33, 81-98.

23.

Stein, J. A. , Golding, J. W. , Siegal, J. M. , Burnam, M. A. , & Sorenson, S. B. (1988). Long term psychological sequelae of child sexual abuse: The Los Angeles Epidemiological Catchment Areas Study. In G. E. Wyatt & G. J. Powell (Eds.), Lasting effects of child sexual abuse (pp. 97-120). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

24.

Sue, D. W. , & Sue, D. (1990). Counseling the culturally different. Theory and practice (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

25.

Westlund, E. (1992). Women's sexuality after childhood incest. New York: Norton.

26.

Wyatt, G. E. , Newcomb, M. , & Notgrass, C. M. (1991). Internal and external mediators of women's rape experiences. In A. Wolberg Burgess (Ed.), Rape and sexual assault III: A research handbook (pp. 167-179). New York: Garland Publishing, Inc.

Reported Symptomatology of Native Canadian and Caucasian Females Sexually Abused in Childhood

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References