This study examines same- and other-sex friendship networks and perceptions of peer competence as functions of stigmatization, defined as shame and a self-blame attributional style. Fifty-six sexually abused adolescents were seen at the time of abuse discovery and 1 year later. Higher self-blame attributional style for the abuse was related to more satisfaction with other-sex friends and less satisfaction with same-sex friends. More shame was related to less satisfaction with same-sex friends and to having a larger number of other-sex friends. Higher self-blame attributional style was related to perceptions of poorer peer acceptance and close friendship and to perceptions of poorer romantic appeal. More shame was related to lower perceptions of peer acceptance and close friendship. The results support the idea that abuse victims who experience higher levels of shame and self-blame attributional style feel less capable of forming satisfying relationships with peers, friends, and potential romantic partners.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Andrews, B.
, Brewin, C. R., Rose, S., & Kirk, M. (in press). Predicting PTSD symptoms in victims of violent crime: The role of shame, anger and childhood abuse. Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
2.
Berndt, T. J.
(1992). Friendship and friends' influence in adolescence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 1, 156-159.
3.
Berndt, T. J.
, & Hoyle, S. G. (1985). Stability and change in childhood and adolescent friendships. Developmental Psychology, 21, 1007-1015.
4.
Blyth, D. A.
, & Foster-Clark, F. S. (1987). Gender differences in perceived intimacy with different members of adolescents' social networks. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 17, 689-718.
5.
Briere, J.
(1996). Therapy for adults molested as children: Beyond survival. New York: Springer.
6.
Briere, J.
, & Runtz, M. (1993). Childhood sexual abuse: Long-term sequelae and implications for psychological assessment. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8, 367-379.
7.
Bukowski, W.
, Sippola, L. K., & Hoza, B. (1999). Shame and other: Interdependency between participation in same- and other-sex friendships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28, 439-459.
8.
Bukowski, W. M.
, Gauze, C., Hoza, B., & Newcomb, A. F. (1993). Differences and consistencies between same-sex and other-sex peer relationships during early adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 29, 255-263.
9.
Calverley, R. M.
, Fischer, K. W., & Ayoub, C. (1994). Complex splitting of self-representations in sexually abused adolescent girls. Development and Psychopathology, 6, 195-213.
10.
Cicchetti, D.
, & Toth, S. L. (1995). A developmental perspective on child abuse and neglect. Journal of Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 34(5), 541-563.
11.
Coffey, P.
, Leitenberg, H., Henning, K., Turner, T., & Bennett, R. T. (1996). Mediators of the long-term impact of child sexual abuse: Perceived stigma, betrayal, powerlessness, and self-blame. Child Abuse and Neglect, 20, 447-455.
12.
Collins, W. A.
, & Sroufe, L. A. (1999). Capacity for intimate relationships: A developmental construction. In W. Furman, B. B. Brown, & C. Feiring (Eds.), The development of romantic relationships in adolescence (pp. 125-147). New York: Cambridge University Press.
13.
Connolly, J.
, & Johnson, A. M. (1996). Adolescents' romantic relationships and the structure and quality of their close interpersonal ties. Personal Relationships, 3, 185-195.
14.
Connolly, J. A.
, Furman, W., & Konarski, R. (1998). The role of peers in the emergence of romantic relationships in adolescence. Unpublished manuscript.
15.
Conte, J. R.
, & Schuerman, J. R. (1987). Factors associated with an increased impact of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 11, 201-211.
16.
Downs, W. R.
(1993). Developmental consideration for the effects of child sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8(3), 331-345.
17.
Feiring, C.
(1996). Concepts of romance in 15-year-old adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 6(2), 181-200.
18.
Feiring, C.
(1999). Other-sex friendship networks and the development of romantic relationships in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 28(4), 495-512.
19.
Feiring, C.
, & Lewis, M. (1991). The transition from middle childhood to early adolescence: Sex differences in the social network and perceived self-competence. Sex Roles, 24(7-8), 489-509.
20.
Feiring, C.
, Taska, L. S., & Chen, K. (in press). Trying to understand why horrible things happen: Attribution shame and symptom development following sexual abuse. Child Maltreatment.
21.
Feiring, C.
, Taska, L. S., & Lewis, M. (1996). A process model for understanding adaptation to sexual abuse: The role of shame in defining stigmatization. Child Abuse and Neglect, 20(8), 767-782.
22.
Feiring, C.
, Taska, L. S., & Lewis, M. (1998). The role of shame and attributional style in children's and adolescents adaptation to sexual abuse. Child Maltreatment, 3, 129-142.
23.
Ferguson, T. J.
, & Stegge, H. (1995). Emotional states and traits in children: The case of guilt and shame. In J. Tangey & K. Fischer (Eds.), Self-conscious emotions: The psychology of shame, guilt, embarrassment, and pride (pp. 174-197). New York: Guilford.
24.
Finkelhor, D.
, & Browne, A. (1985). The traumatic impact of child sexual abuse: A conceptualization. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 55, 530-541.
25.
Fischer, K. W.
, & Lamborn, S. (1989). Mechanisms of variation in developmental levels: Cognitive and emotional transitions during adolescence. In A. D. Ribaupierre (Ed.), Transition mechanisms in child development (pp. 33-67). New York: Cambridge University Press.
26.
Furman, W.
(1999). Friends and lovers: The role of peer relationships in adolescent heterosexual romantic relationships. In W. A. Collins & B. Laursen (Eds.), Relationships as developmental contexts: Minnesota Symposium on Child Development (Vol. 30, pp. 135-154). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
27.
Furman, W.
, & Buhrmester, D. (1992). Age and sex differences in perceptions of networks of personal relationships. Child Development, 63, 103-115.
28.
Furman, W.
, & Wehner, E. A. (1994). Romantic views: Toward a theory of adolescent romantic relationships. In R. Montemayor (Ed.), Advances in adolescent development: Relationships in adolescence (Vol. 3, pp. 168-195). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
29.
Gold, E. R.
(1986). Long-term effects of sexual victimization in childhood: An attributional approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 471-475.
30.
Harter, S.
(1988). Manual for the self-perception profile for adolescents. Denver, CO: University of Denver Press.
31.
Harter, S.
(1990). Causes, correlates, and the functional role of global self-concept: Implications for child psychotherapy. In S.R. Shirk (Ed.), Cognitive development and psychotherapy (pp. 119-160). New York: Plenum.
32.
Harter, S.
, Alexander, P. C., & Neimeyer, R. A. (1988). Long-term effects of incestuous child abuse in college women: Social adjustment, social cognition, and family characteristics. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 5-8.
33.
Hartup, W. W.
(1993). Adolescents and their friends. In B. Laursen (Ed.), Close friendships in adolescence (pp. 3-22). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
34.
Herman, J. L.
(1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence— From domestic abuse to political terror. New York: Basic Books.
35.
Hoblitzelle, W.
(1987). Differentiating and measuring shame and guilt: The relation between shame and depression. In H. B. Lewis (Ed.), The role of shame in symptom formation (pp. 207-236). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
36.
Kuttler, A. F.
, La Greca, A. M., & Prinstein, M.J. (1999). Friendship qualities and social-emotional functioning of adolescents with close, cross-sex friendships. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 9(3), 339-366.
37.
Leaper, C.
, & Anderson, K.J. (1997). Gender development and heterosexual romantic relationships during adolescence. New Directions for Child Development, 78, 85-103.
38.
Lewis, H. B.
(1971). Shame and guilt in neurosis. New York: International Universities Press.
39.
Lewis, M.
(1992). Shame: The exposed self. New York: The Free Press.
40.
Mannarino, A. P.
, & Cohen, J. A. (1996a). Abuse-related attributions and perceptions, general attributions, and locus of control in sexually abused girls. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 11(2), 162-180.
41.
Mannarino, A. P.
, & Cohen, J. A. (1996b). A follow-up study of factors that mediate the development of psychological symptomatology in sexually abused girls. Child Maltreatment, 1, 246-260.
42.
Miller, D. T.
, & Porter, C. A. (1983). Self-blame in victims of violence. Journal of Social Issues, 39(2), 139-152.
43.
Morrow, K. B.
(1991). Attributions of female adolescent incest victims regarding their molestation. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15, 477-483.
44.
Neumann, D. A.
, Houskamp, B. M., Pollock, V. E., & Briere, J. (1996). The long-term sequelae of childhood sexual abuse in women: A meta-analytic review. Child Maltreatment, 1, 6-16.
45.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S.
, Girgus, J. S., & Seligman, M. E. (1992). Predictors and consequences of childhood depressive symptoms: A 5-year longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101(3), 405-422.
46.
Oates, R. K.
, Forrest, D., & Peacock, A. (1985). Self-esteem of abused children. Child Abuse and Neglect, 9, 159-163.
47.
Parker, J.G.
(2000, March-April). When friends date or when dates date friends: Jealousy and the friendship context of dating relationships in early adolescence. Poster presented at the eighth biennial meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Chicago.
48.
Parker, J.G.
, & Herrera, C. (1996). Interpersonal process in friendship: A comparison of abused and nonabused children's experiences. Developmental Psychology, 32(6), 1025-1038.
49.
Pyszczynski, T.
, & Greenberg, J. (1987). Self-regulatory perseveration and the depressive self-focusing style: A self-awareness theory of reactive depression. Psychological Bulletin, 201, 122-138.
50.
Reid, M. K.
, & Landesman, S. (1988). My family and friends: Manual for conducting dialogues with children about social support. Unpublished manuscript, University of Washington, Seattle.
51.
Reid, M. K.
, Landesman, S., Treder, R., & Jaccard, J. (1989). “My family and friends”: Six to twelve-year-old children's perceptions of social support. Child Development, 60, 896-910.
52.
Reimer, M.S.
(1996). “Sinking into the ground”: The development and consequences of shame in adolescence. Developmental Review, 16, 321-363.
53.
Richards, M. H.
, Crowe, P. A., Larson, R., & Swarr, A. (1998). Developmental patterns and gender differences in the experience of peer companionship during adolescence. Child Development, 69, 154-163.
54.
Salzinger, S.
, Feldman, R. S., Hammer, M., & Rosario, M. (1993). The effects of physical abuse on children's social relationships. Child Development, 64, 169-187.
55.
Savin-Williams, R. C.
, & Berndt, T.J. (1990). Friendship and peer relations. In S. S. Feldman & G. R. Elliot (Eds.), At the threshold: The developing adolescent (pp. 277-307). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
56.
Selman, R. L.
, & Schultz, L. H. (1990). Making a friend in youth. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
57.
Sharabany, R.
, Gershoni, R., & Hoffman, J. E. (1981). Girlfriend, boyfriend: Age and sex differences in intimate friendship. Developmental Psychology, 17, 800-808.
58.
Spaccarelli, S.
(1994). Stress, appraisal, and coping in child sexual abuse: A theoretical and empirical review. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 340-362.
59.
Spaccarelli, S.
(1995). Measuring abuse stress and negative cognitive appraisals in child sexual abuse: Validity data on two new scales. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 703-727.
60.
Tangey, J. P.
, Burggraf, S.A., & Wagner, P. E. (1995). Shame-proneness, guilt-proneness and psychological symptoms. In J. P. Tangey & K. W. Fischer (Eds.), Self-conscious emotions: The psychology of shame, guilt, embarrassment and pride (pp. 343-367). New York: Guilford.
61.
Tangey, J. P.
, & Fischer, K. W. (1995). Self-conscious emotions and the affect revolution: Framework and overview. In J. P. Tangey & K. W. Fischer (Eds.), Self-conscious emotions: The psychology of shame, guilt, embarrassment and pride (pp. 3-22). New York: Guilford.
62.
Thompson, M.
, Kaslow, N. J., Weiss, B., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1998). Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire-Revised: Psychometric examination. Psychological Assessment, 10, 166-170.
63.
Trickett, P. K.
, & McBride-Chang, C. (1995). The developmental impact of different forms of child abuse and neglect. Developmental Review, 15(3), 311-337.
64.
Westen, D.
, & Cohen, R. (1992). The self in borderline personality disorder: A psychodynamic perspective. In Z. Segal & S. Blatt (Eds.), Self-representation and emotional disorder: Cognitive and psychodynamic perspectives (pp. 334-360). New York: Guilford.
65.
Wolfe, D.
, & McGee, R. (1991). Assessment of emotional status among maltreated children. In R. Starr & D. A. Wolfe (Eds.), The effects of child abuse and neglect: Issues and research (pp. 257-277). New York: Guilford.
66.
Wolfe, D.
, Sas, L., & Wekerle, C. (1994). Factors associated with the development of post traumatic stress disorder among child victims of sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 18, 37-50.
67.
Wolfe, D.
, Wekerle, C., Reitzel-Jaffe, D., & Lefebvre, L. (1998). Factors associated with abusive relationships among maltreated and nonmaltreated youth. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 61-85.
68.
Wolfe, V. V.
, Gentile, C., & Wolfe, D. A. (1989). The impact of sexual abuse on children: A PTSD formulation. Behavior Therapy, 20, 215-228.
69.
Wyatt, G. E.
, Newcomb, M. D., & Riederle, M. H. (1993). Sexual abuse and consensual sex: Women's developmental patterns and outcomes. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
70.
Youniss, J.
, & Smollar, J. (1985). Adolescent relations with mothers, fathers, and friends. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
