Citation

Danielson CK, de Arellano MA, Kilpatrick DG, Saunders BE, Resnick HS. Child Maltreat. 2005; 10(1): 37-48.

Affiliation

Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. danielso@musc.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077559504271630

PMID

15611325

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that youth who are sexually or physically abused are at greater risk for developing depression. Although the association between depression and child maltreatment has been well documented, much less is known about the potential differences in the clinical presentation of depressive symptomatology among these victims. The current study examines differences in symptoms of depression in adolescents based on differing histories of abuse (i.e., sexual abuse only, physical abuse only, sexual and physical abuse, and no history of sexual or physical abuse), abuse incident characteristics, and gender. Participants were drawn from a subsample (n = 548) from the National Survey of Adolescents who met criteria for major depressive episode in the past year. Results indicate significant differences in severity of depression and specific depressive symptoms based on type of abuse experienced and gender. Implications for the clinical assessment and treatment of depressed adolescents with regard to abuse history are discussed.

Language: en