Depression, child abuse histories, and current attributions were investigated for 80 mothers of boys in three abuse referral groups (victimized perpetrators, nonvictimized perpetrators, and victim only) in comparison with a group of boys showing externalizing behaviors. During semistructured interviews with mothers, child abuse histories were elicited and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was administered. The Leeds Attributional Coding System (LACS) was used to code spoken attributions from verbatim interview transcripts. Sexual victimization in their own childhood was reported by 55% of mothers of perpetrators and 30% of mothers of victims; high rates of domestic violence were reported by both mothers of perpetrators (72%) and mothers of victims (50%). There were no significant group differences on BDI scores. Mothers of the externalizing comparison group showed “low perceived control” in their attributions for negative events and blamed their sons for negative events significantly more than those of the three case groups (p < .05). The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for clinical interventions and research.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abel, G.Mittelman, M.
, & Becker, J. V. (1985). Sex offenders: Results of assessment and recommendations for treatment. In J. Ben-Aron, S. Hucker, & C. Webster (Eds.), Clinical criminology: Current concepts. Toronto, Canada: M & M Graphics.
2.
Achenbach, T. M.
, & Edelbrock, C. S. (1986). Manual for the Teacher's Report Form and Teacher Version of the Child Behavior Profile. Burlington: University of Vermont.
3.
Anderson, J.
, Martin, J., Mullen, P., Romans, S., & Herbison, P. (1993). Prevalence of child sexual abuse experiences in a community sample of women. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 911-919.
4.
Andrews, B.
, Brown, G. W., & Creasey, L. (1990). Intergenerational links between psychiatric disorder in mothers and daughters: The role of parenting experiences. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 31, 1115-1129.
5.
Beck, A. T.
, & Steer, R. A. (1987). Depression inventory manual. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
6.
Bifulco, A.
, Brown, G. W., & Harris, T. O. (1994). Childhood experience of care and abuse (CECA): A retrospective interview measure. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 1419-1435.
7.
Blaske, D. M.
, Borduin, C. M., Henggeler, S. W., & Mann, B. J. (1989). Individual, family, and peer characteristics of adolescent sex offenders & assaultive offenders. Developmental Psychology, 25, 846-855.
8.
Bowlby, J.
(1982). Attachment (2nd ed.). New York: Basic Books.
9.
Brewin, C. R.
, McCarthy, B., Duda, K., & Vaughn, C. E. (1991). Attribution and expressed emotion in the relatives of patients with schizophrenia. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 546-554.
10.
Bugental, D. B.
(1987). Attributions as moderator variables within social interactional systems. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 5, 469-484.
11.
Bugental, D. B.
(1992). Affective and cognitive processes within threat-oriented family systems. In I. E. Sigel, A. V. McGillicuddy-DeLisi, & J.J. Goodnow (Eds.), Parental belief systems: The psychological consequences for children (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
12.
Bugental, D. B.
, Blue, J., Cortez, V., Fleck, K., Kopeikin, H., Lewis, J. C., & Lyon, J. (1993). Social cognitions as organisers of autonomic and affective responses to social challenge. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 94-103.
13.
Bugental, D. B.
, Mantyla, S. M., & Lewis, J. (1989). Parental attributions as moderators of affective communication to children at risk for physical abuse. In D. Cicchetti & V. Carlson (Eds.), Child maltreatment: Theory and research on the causes and consequences of child abuse and neglect. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
14.
Burgess, A. W.
, Hartman, C. R., & McCormack, A. (1987). Abused to abuser: Antecedents of socially deviant behaviors. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 1431-1436.
15.
Cohen, J.
(1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155-159.
16.
Cole, P. M.
, & Woolger, C. (1989). Incest survivors: The relation of their perceptions of their parents and their own parenting attitudes. Child Abuse and Neglect, 13, 409-416.
17.
Davies, M. G.
, (1995). Parental distress and ability to cope following disclosure of extra-familial sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 19, 399-408.
18.
Davis, G. E.
, & Leitenberg, H. (1987). Adolescent sex offenders. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 417-427.
19.
Davis, P.
, (1990). Repression and the inaccessibility of affective memories. In J. L. Singer (Ed.), Repression and dissociation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
20.
Dix, T.
(1991). The affective organization of parenting: Adaptive and maladaptive processes. Psychological Bulletin, 110, 3-25.
21.
Everson, M. D.
, Hunter, W. M., Runyan, D. K., Edelsohn, G. A., & Coulter, M. L. (1989). Maternal support following disclosure of incest. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59, 197-207.
22.
Fehrenbach, P. A.
, Smith, W., Monastersky, C., & Deisher, R. W. (1986). Adolescent sexual offenders: Offender and offence characteristics. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 56, 225-233.
23.
Fincham, F. D.
, Beach, S. R., & Baucom, D. H. (1987). Attribution processes in distressed and nondistressed couples: Self-partner attribution differences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 739-748.
24.
Finkelhor, D.
(1994). Current information on the scope and nature of child sexual abuse. The Future of Children, 4, 31-53.
25.
Fleiss, J. L.
(1981). The measurement of interrater agreement. In J. L. Fleiss (Ed.), Statistical methods for rates & proportions (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley.
26.
Groth, A.
, Longo, R., & McFadin, J. (1982). Undetected recidivism among rapists & child molesters. Crime and Delinquency, 28, 450-458.
27.
Harvey, J. H.
, Turnquist, D. C., & Agostinelli, G. (1988). Identifying attributions in oral and written explanations. In C. Antaki (Ed.), Analysing everyday explanation: A casebook of methods. London: Sage.
28.
HMSO.
(1993). Criminal statistics for England & Wales. London: Author.
29.
Kaplan, M. S.
, Becker, J. V., & Cunningham-Rathner, J. (1987). Characteristics of parents of adolescent incest perpetrators: Preliminary findings. Journal of Family Violence, 3, 183-191.
30.
Kaplan, M. S.
, Becker, J. V., & Martinez, D. F. (1990). A comparison of mothers of adolescent incest versus non-incest perpetrators. Journal of Family Violence, 5, 209-214.
31.
Kavoussi, R. L.
, Kaplan, M., & Becker, J. V. (1988). Psychiatric diagnoses in adolescent sex offenders. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 241-243.
32.
Kendall-Tackett, K.
, Williams, L. M., & Finkelhor, D. (1993). Impact of sexual abuse on children: A review and synthesis of recent empirical studies. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 164-180.
33.
Kinard, E. M.
(1996). Social support, self-worth, and depression in offending and nonoffending mothers of maltreated children. Child Maltreatment, 1, 272-283.
34.
Kuyken, W.
, & Brewin, C. R. (1994). Intrusive memories of childhood abuse during depressive episodes. Behavior Research & Therapy, 32, 525-528.
35.
Meiselman, K. C.
(1978). Incest: A psychological study of causes and effects with treatment recommendations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
36.
Mrazek, P. B.
(1987). Definition and recognition of sexual child abuse: Historical and cultural perspectives. In P. B. Mrazek & C. H. Kempe (Eds.), Sexually abused children and their families. Oxford: Pergamon.
37.
Mullen, P. E.
, Martin, J. L., Anderson, J. C., Romans, S. E., & Herbison, G. P. (1993). Childhood sexual abuse and mental health in adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 721-732.
38.
Munton, A. G.
, & Antaki, C. (1988). Causal beliefs among families in therapy: Attributions at the group level. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 27, 91-97.
39.
Myers, L. B.
, & Brewin, C. R. (1994). Recall of early experience and the repressive coping style. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103, 288-292.
40.
Office of Population Censuses & Surveys (OPCS)
. (1980). Classification of occupations. London: HMSO.
41.
Osborn, A. F.
, Butler, N. R., & Morris, A. C. (1984). The social life of Britain's five-year-olds. London: Routledge Kegan Paul.
42.
Salt, P.
, Myer, M., Coleman, L., & Sauzier, M. (1990). The myth of the mother as “accomplice” to child sexual abuse. In G. D. Ryan & S. L. Lane (Eds.), Juvenile and sexual offending: Causes, consequences, & correction. Lexington, MA: Lexington.
43.
Seligman, M.E.P.
, Abramson, L. Y., Semmel, A., & von Baeyer, C. (1979). Depressive attributional style. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 88, 242-247.
44.
Sgroi, S. M.
, & Dana, N. T. (1982). Individual and group treatment of mothers of incest victims. In S. Sgroi (Ed.), Handbook of clinical intervention in child sexual abuse. Lexington, MA: Lexington.
45.
Shoor, M.
, Speed, M. H., & Bartelt, C. (1966). Syndrome of the adolescent child molest. American Journal of Psychiatry, 122, 783-789.
46.
Silvester, J.
, & Stratton, P. (1991). Attributional discrepancy in abusive families. Human Systems: The Journal of Systemic Consultation and Management, 2, 279-296.
47.
Sirles, E. A.
, & Franke, P. J. (1989). Factors influencing mothers' reactions to intrafamily sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 13, 131-139.
48.
Smith, H.
, & Israel, E. (1987). Sibling incest: A study of the dynamics of 25 cases. Child Abuse & Neglect, 11, 101-108.
49.
Smith, M.
, & Grocke, M. (1990). Self-cognitions about sexuality in abused and non-abused children: An experimental study. Unpublished manuscript. Thomas Coram Research Unit: University of London.
50.
Stratton, P.
, Munton, T., Hanks, H., Heard, D., & Davidson, C. (1988). Leeds Attributional Coding System. Leeds: University of Leeds, Family Therapy and Research Centre, Department of Psychology.
51.
Straus, M. A.
, & Gelles, R. J. (1980). Physical violence in American families: Risk factors and adaptations to violence in 8,145 families. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
52.
Van Ness, S. R.
(1984). Rape as instrumental violence: A study of youth offenders. Journal of Offender Counselling Services and Rehabilitation, 9, 99-104.
53.
Watkins, B.
, & Bentovim, A. (1992). The sexual abuse of male children and adolescents: A review of current research. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 33, 197-248.
54.
Weinberger, D. A.
(1990). The construct validity of the repressive coping style. In J. L. Singer (Ed.), Repression and dissociation. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
55.
Williams, B.
, & New, M. (1996). Developmental perspective on adolescent boys who sexually abuse other children. Child Psychology and Psychiatry Review, 1, 122-129.
