Longitudinal Predictors of Mother- and Child-Report of Maternal Support Following Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Maternal support is theorized as a critical predictor of children’s recovery from sexual abuse. However, following disclosure, several factors may cause maternal support to fluctuate over time. This study examined the effects of hypothesized risk factors, mother’s relationship to the perpetrator and maternal psychological distress, as well as protective factors, maternal belief of disclosure, lower levels of child blame, and mother–child relationship quality, as predictors of change in maternal support over a 9 month period. Mothers (Mage = 38.42, SD = 8.99) and their children (Mage = 11.57, SD = 2.69; 85% female), recruited from a child advocacy center following sexual abuse disclosure, completed measures of maternal support. Mothers reported on their relationship to the perpetrator, psychological distress, belief of disclosure, child blame, and mother–child relationship quality. On average, mother- and child-reports of maternal support were stable across time. Belief of disclosure and child blame predicted mother- and child-report of maternal support. Psychological distress and mother–child relationship quality predicted change in mother-report, but not child-report of maternal support. Researchers and clinicians should consider potential fluctuations in maternal support in assessment and intervention following child sexual abuse.