TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1997//
TI  - Depression, developmental level and disclosure in sexually abused children
JO  - South African medical journal SAMJ
A1  - Pillay, A. L.
A1  - van der Veen, M. B.
SP  - 1688
EP  - 1691
VL  - 87
IS  - 12
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between sexual abuse disclosure, developmental level and psychopathology in children. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of case records, using chi-square and t-tests for statistical significance. SETTING: Child and Adolescent Unit, Midlands Hospital, Pietermaritzburg. SUBJECTS: One hundred children consecutively admitted for all types of mental health problems. OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnostic evaluations were made using the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edition, revised). RESULTS: Forty of the 100 children had been sexually abused, but 14 (35%) of the abused children did not disclose their abuse until after admission. The post-admission disclosure group had a significantly higher mean age (13.71 years) than the pre-admission disclosure group (10.96 years). Also, significantly more post-admission disclosure children received a diagnosis of major depressive disorder than their pre-admission disclosure counterparts. CONCLUSION: The study highlights the issue of sexual abuse disclosure and its relationship to depression and developmental level. Internal psychological and developmental mechanisms appear to influence the disclosure/non-disclosure of sexual abuse.<p /> <p>Language: en</p> 
LA  - en
SN  - 0038-2469
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -