Childhood sexual abuse. Women's Mental and Social Health Before and After Group Therapy
Author
Summary, in English
The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in psychological and social variables before and after group therapy for adult women who were sexually abused in childhood. Other aims were to describe and evaluate the traumafocused group therapy by consumer satisfaction, to describe the women's health before group therapy start and to evaluate the impact of single childhood sexual abuse variables on mental and social health. Material and Methods: 45 female psychiatric outpatients were treated in 10 different two-year long trauma-focused therapy groups. Each woman was interviewed on admission. Before and after treatment the women answered questionnaires regarding psychological symptoms, social variables and sense of coherence. A 12-months follow-up was done. Inpatient days and sick-listing days were assessed. After treatment termination the consumer satisfaction was evaluated.
Results: The women had mostly been abused at an early age, by a close perpetrator, through serious sexual abuse and over several years. It was common not to have revealed the sexual abuse when it happened, mostly owing to fear of not being believed. Before treatment, nearly half of the group reported a suicide attempt in their life history. In present life, most of the women had problems with their relationships to men and to women, sexual problems, low self-esteem and somatic pain. Compared to general female groups, the women suffered more from psychological symptoms, were less satisfied with their network, had a poorer social adjustment and poorer values regarding family climate and expressed emotion to their partner. Improvements after group therapy were found regarding psychological and PTSD-symptoms, sense of coherence, social interaction and social adjustment. Expressed emotion was improved regarding perceived criticism. Family climate, the inpatient days and the sick-listing days showed no improvements. Consumer satisfaction was high. Comparisons were made with a short-term therapy group which also showed satisfying treatment effects. A waiting-list group showed no changes except for improvement of the total social interaction. No differences were found between the groups.
Conclusions: Time-limited and trauma focused group therapy seems to have positive effects on psychological and PTSD-symptoms, sense of coherence, social interaction, overall social adjustment and perceived criticism from the partner.
Results: The women had mostly been abused at an early age, by a close perpetrator, through serious sexual abuse and over several years. It was common not to have revealed the sexual abuse when it happened, mostly owing to fear of not being believed. Before treatment, nearly half of the group reported a suicide attempt in their life history. In present life, most of the women had problems with their relationships to men and to women, sexual problems, low self-esteem and somatic pain. Compared to general female groups, the women suffered more from psychological symptoms, were less satisfied with their network, had a poorer social adjustment and poorer values regarding family climate and expressed emotion to their partner. Improvements after group therapy were found regarding psychological and PTSD-symptoms, sense of coherence, social interaction and social adjustment. Expressed emotion was improved regarding perceived criticism. Family climate, the inpatient days and the sick-listing days showed no improvements. Consumer satisfaction was high. Comparisons were made with a short-term therapy group which also showed satisfying treatment effects. A waiting-list group showed no changes except for improvement of the total social interaction. No differences were found between the groups.
Conclusions: Time-limited and trauma focused group therapy seems to have positive effects on psychological and PTSD-symptoms, sense of coherence, social interaction, overall social adjustment and perceived criticism from the partner.
Department/s
Publishing year
2005
Language
English
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Document type
Dissertation
Publisher
gunilla.lundqvist@skane.se
Topic
- Psychiatry
Keywords
- psychological symptoms
- childhood sexual abuse
- group therapy
- Medicin (människa och djur)
- Medicine (human and vertebrates)
- social adjustment
- social interaction
Status
Published
Supervisor
- Carl Göran Svedin
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISBN: 91-85439-11-8
Defence date
15 April 2005
Defence time
09:15
Defence place
Edens Hörsal
Opponent
- Björn Wrangsjö (Ass professor)