Citation

Labadie C, Godbout N, Vaillancourt-Morel MP, Sabourin S. J. Sex Marital Ther. 2018; 44(4): 354-369.

Affiliation

d Université Laval , École de psychologie , 2325 rue des Bibliothèques, Québec , Quebec , G1V 0A6 Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/0092623X.2017.1405302

PMID

29140759

Abstract

The present study examined the possibility of different groups of CSA survivors based on their different patterns of attachment and sexual problems. A sample of 324 CSA survivors and 484 participants who did not report any child maltreatment experiences completed online questionnaires. A cluster analysis on attachment and sexual outcomes revealed that CSA survivors formed two distinct profiles. The first profile included CSA survivors with elevated attachment anxiety and low to moderate scores on attachment avoidance, sexual compulsion, and sexual avoidance. The second profile comprised CSA survivors with high scores on attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, sexual compulsion and sexual avoidance. These groups were then compared on CSA severity, gender differences and other child maltreatment experiences. As compared to CSA survivors of the first profile, survivors from the second profile reported more intrusive and extra-familial CSA, higher rates of psychological maltreatment and witnessed parental violence, as well as more personal and couple distress. These results suggest that CSA survivors form a heterogeneous population and that sexual abuse is differentially associated with the complex unfolding of the attachment and sexual systems within two distinct subgroups.

Language: en

Keywords

Attachment; Child sexual abuse; Cluster analysis; Sexual outcomes