Annotated Bibliography—Sexual Abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Annotated Bibliography

1. Anda et al. (2006)—This source explores the correlation between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and a variety of symptoms related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in behavioral, affective, mental, and sexual areas of life. The article appears in a scholarly journal, and quantitative research is conducted on a large sample of adults using reputable instruments. Each of the authors is a licensed medical doctor (MD), and some have additional credentials as well. The study was supported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a grant from the Garfield Memorial Fund. The study was published in 2006, making it within the range of relevant information but not as current as is preferred for this field of study.

2. Chard (2005)—This source is written by the director of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. The study performed uses a true experiment to assess the effectiveness of cognitive processing therapy in women with PTSD from CSA. The study uses two of the most regarded instruments in this area of study, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale. While the results are fairly predictable in that the treatment group a greater reduction in symptoms than the control group, the analysis is highly valid and reliable and therefore is useful as part of the bibliography.

3. Cloitre et al. (2005)—This research was designed to help predict impairments in functioning related to PTSD in women with child abuse histories. The first author is associated with the New York University (NYU) Child Study Center and the Institute for Trauma and Stress. The research explored the severity of multiple PTSD symptoms and the extent to which they affect interpersonal and social functioning. The research was funded by two grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). This article may be helpful in choosing treatment modalities and determining treatment plans.

4. Cloitre et al. (2010)—This source, published in a peer-reviewed journal, studied 104 adults with CSA and the PTSD symptoms of affect regulation and interpersonal disturbance. This research is similar in nature to the previous item in this bibliography and goes into further detail on these two specific PTSD symptoms. In a literature review on CSA, the authors found that women experienced PTSD nearly twice as often as men, hence the research was conducted on women. Additionally, they found in the literature review that affect regulation and interpersonal disturbance do not have significant treatment focus. This article is thorough and clear with numerous instruments utilized, an extensive literature review, and highly reliable and valid data and conclusions. The research was supported by a grant from the NIMH.

5. Deblinger et al. (2006)—This source reports a study conducted by medical doctors, two PhDs, and one Doctor of Education. The source comes from a peer-reviewed journal and describes in detail primary information from a study performed on 183 children between 8 and 14 years old who had been sexually abused. The study focuses on the effects of trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Child-Centered Therapy on symptoms of PTSD and shame. The study is well-written and contains a lot of information regarding PTSD and sexual abuse. However, it focuses on children rather than adults who are survivors of CSA and therefore may not be completely relevant to this thesis.

6. Freyd, DePrince, & Gleaves (2007)—This article, while not specifically about PTSD, explains Betrayal Trauma Theory (BTT) which is discussed in the article by Ullman (2007) in this annotated bibliography. This is not a study or research but rather a theoretical framework. The article discusses the conceptual ideas of BTT, critiques of empirical studies on BTT, and future directions. The journal in which this article appears is peer-reviewed. The first author is a subject matter expert in CSA and the effects of childhood trauma and the editor of another scholarly journal on trauma. The second author also focuses mainly on the field of trauma and runs a research group dedicated to studying trauma and violence.

7. Hyman, Gold, & Cott (2003)—This source provides an interesting perspective on treating PTSD symptoms. The study examines the most effective types of social support for adults with PTSD as a result of CSA. The study uses two instruments to measure PTSD symptoms as well as four types of social support groups. The instrumentation for PTSD measures the specific symptoms of intrusion and avoidance. The article is published in a peer-reviewed journal and is written by three Ph.D. authors. This article may be helpful in assessing treatment plans for adults with PTSD.

8. McDonagh et al. (2005)—This source, published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal, reports on a randomized clinical trial conducted by eight authors with associations to various medical schools and research centers including the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. The clinical trial studied adults with PTSD from CSA and their responses to both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Present-Centered Therapy (PCT). The clinical trial was conducted as a true experiment with a control group disguised as a “waiting list” for group therapy. This article is clear and well-written based on factual information.

9. McLean & Gallop (2003)—This study examines women who were sexually abused both early in childhood (12 years old or younger) and later in childhood (13 years old and older) and the prevalence of both Complex PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder in adulthood. The study uses a small but appropriate number of subjects (65 women). The article reports both secondary information in the form of a literature review and primary information in the form of the results of the study and thorough statistical analysis. The diagnoses of the subjects are assessed with two valid instruments. Both authors are PhDs, and the peer-reviewed journal that published this article is the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association. The article is a little old for this area of study but still useful.

10. Steil et al. (2011)—This source describes research performed using a treatment modality designed by the authors and called Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (DBT-PTSD). The authors utilized this modality with 29 female participants with the intent to reduce the fear of PTSD-related emotions, question secondary emotions such as guilt and shame and radically accept trauma facts. The article is published in a peer-reviewed journal on behalf of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

11. Ullman (2007)—This article comes from a peer-reviewed journal and explores PTSA from CSA as it relates to relationship to the perpetrator. The author, a Ph.D. professor of psychology at a major university, specializes in the study of sexual abuse and PTSD. In addition to thoroughly explaining the study performed on 733 college students who were survivors of CSA, the article discusses the results of the study in the context of Betrayal Trauma Theory (BTT) in order to more fully understand the traumatic effects of sexual abuse during childhood.

12. Weierich & Nock (2008)—This is a fairly recent and relevant article examining the correlation between CSA and the PTSD symptom of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This article provides a solid review of existing literature, but the results of the study only provide validation of the correlation and not causation as the authors hoped to discover. The authors are both Ph.D. professors of psychology at large universities. This article provides a comprehensive review of secondary data which may be helpful in guiding the direction of this thesis.

References

Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., Bremner, J. D., Walker, J. D., Whitfield, C. H., Perry, B. D., ... & Giles, W. H. (2006). The enduring effects of abuse and related adverse experiences in childhood. European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, 256(3), 174-186.

Chard, K. M. (2005). An evaluation of cognitive processing therapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder related to childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(5), 965-971.

Cloitre, M., Miranda, R., Stovall-McClough, K. C., & Han, H. (2005). Beyond PTSD: Emotion regulation and interpersonal problems as predictors of functional impairment in survivors of childhood abuse. Behavior Therapy, 36(2), 119-124.

Cloitre, M., Stovall-McClough, K. C., Nooner, K., Zorbas, P., Cherry, S., Jackson, C. L., ... & Petkova, E. (2010). Treatment for PTSD related to childhood abuse: A randomized controlled trial. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167(8), 915-924.

Deblinger, E., Mannarino, A. P., Cohen, J. A., & Steer, R. A. (2006). A follow-up study of a multisite, randomized, controlled trial for children with sexual abuse-related PTSD symptoms. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(12), 1474-1484.

Freyd, J. J., DePrince, A. P., & Gleaves, D. H. (2007). The state of betrayal trauma theory: Conceptual issues, and future directions. Memory, 15(3), 295-311.

Hyman, S. M., Gold, S. N., & Cott, M. A. (2003). Forms of social support that moderate PTSD in childhood sexual abuse survivors. Journal of Family Violence, 18(5), 295-300.

McDonagh, A., Friedman, M., McHugo, G., Ford, J., Sengupta, A., Mueser, K., ... & Descamps, M. (2005). Randomized trial of cognitive-behavioral therapy for chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 73(3), 515.

McLean, L. M., & Gallop, R. (2003). Implications of childhood sexual abuse for adult borderline personality disorder and complex posttraumatic stress disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160(2), 369-371.

Steil, R., Dyer, A., Priebe, K., Kleindienst, N., & Bohus, M. (2011). Dialectical behavior therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder related to childhood sexual abuse: a pilot study of an intensive residential treatment program. Journal of traumatic stress, 24(1), 102-106.

Ullman, S. E. (2007). Relationship to perpetrator, disclosure, social reactions, and PTSD symptoms in child sexual abuse survivors. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 16(1), 19-36.

Weierich, M. R., & Nock, M. K. (2008). Posttraumatic stress symptoms mediate the relation between childhood sexual abuse and nonsuicidal self-injury. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 76(1), 39.