Perceived parental acceptance/rejection and psychopathology in a group of sexually abused children/adolescents

Abstract

Aim To investigate perceived maternal acceptance/rejection in a group of sexually abused children/adolescents. Quality of the relationship between caregiver and child has been linked to many behavioral and emotional problems of childhood. For those children/adolescents subject to sexual abuse, perceived parental acceptance/rejection is an important component of well being. Methods A total of 28 abused children/adolescents and their mothers participated in the study. The victims were sent by the court to the Uludag University Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department for psychiatric evaluation. Numerical variables are presented with mean and standard deviation, categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. Nonparametric correlation analysis was used for the relationship between psychological adjustment and perceived parental acceptance of children. Results The results of the study show that there was a significant correlation among child and mother reports of perceived acceptance. Children/adolescents also displayed more psychological adjustment than maladjustment. According to the Children's Depression Inventory, 15 victims were depressed and 13 were not. There was no remarkable difference between depressed and non-depressed subjects in terms of depression scores. Overall, the results of the study showed that both abused children/adolescents and their mothers perceived a positive relationship as measured by Perceived Parental Acceptance and Rejection Questionnaire-Control scores. Conclusion The findings suggested that a well-established, healthy emotional bond is resilient to challenges, as was the case in the sexually abused children/adolescents of the study.