Introduction
Method
Study | Study design | Country | Ethnicity | Participants | Type of sample | Mean age of mother |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alexander et al. (2000) | Cross-sectional | USA | 80% Caucasian, 11.1% African-American, 8.9% Latina | 90 mothers (19 (21%) reported CSA) | Community - response to advert | 36.4 |
Barrett (2009) | Secondary data analysis from a panel (longitudinal) study | USA | Predominately African-American (82.7%) | 483 mothers (54 (11%) reported CSA) | Community – benefit recipients | 28.83 |
Buist and Janson (2001) | 3 year prospective study | Australia | Not reported | 45 mothers who had developed depression postpartum (23 (51%) reported CSA) | Clinical - mother & baby unit. Mothers diagnosed with either major depression or adjustment disorder | CSA group: 30.5 Control: 31.6 |
Douglas (2000) | Case–control | Scotland | Not reported | 63 mothers (34 (54%) reported CSA) | Clinical – mental health out-patient clinic | CSA group: 31.7 Control: 35.8 |
Ethier et al. (1995) | Case–control | Canada (French speaking) | Not reported | 80 mothers (40 “negligent” & 40 control). Frequency of sexual abuse “events” reported: 20 events reported in the negligent group, 14 in the control | Neglecting mothers from Youth Protection Services, matched with controls from the community | 28.6 (neglecting) 30.3 (control) |
Harmer et al. (1999) | Cross-sectional | Australia | Predominately Anglo-Saxon, three mothers identified themselves as half native aboriginal | 46 mothers recovering from drug or alcohol addiction (22 out of 39 (56%) who completed the CSA measure reported CSA) | Clinical (recovering addicts) residing at a therapeutic community | 28.5 |
Lang et al. (2010) | Prospective: Time point 1 in early pregnancy, time point two when child was 12 months old | USA | 61.4% Caucasian, 18.2% Hispanic, 11.4% African-American, 9.1% “other” | 44 mothers at time point one, 31 at time point two (70.4%). 20.4% reported moderate/severe CSA at time point one | Community - response to advert | 29.27 |
Lutenbacher (2000) | Cross-sectional | USA | 56% African-American, no other information given | 59 low income mothers (9 reported CSA only, 11 (19%) reported a mixture of CSA and physical abuse) | Community - response to advert and approached by staff | 26.1 |
Mapp (2006)a
| Secondary data analysis from a cross-sectional prospective study between 1991 and 1998 (used data only from time point 2) | USA | 73% African-American, no other information given | 265 (40.4% reported CSA) | Community – from a prenatal clinic | Not reported |
Pazdera et al. (2013)a
| Secondary data analysis from a cross-sectional prospective study between 1991 and 1998 | USA | 73% African-American, no other information given | 265 mothers (number of CSA survivors not reported, but assumed to be 40.4% as above) | Community – from a prenatal clinic | Not reported |
Pereira et al. (2012) | Cross-sectional | Canada | 67.2% Caucasian, 13.2% Asian, 5.6% Hispanic, 3.8% mixed ethnicity, 2.8% African, 0.6% North American, 3.1% “other” | 291 mothers (50 (17%) reported CSA) | Community - response to advert and approached by staff | 33.38 |
Renner et al. (2015)a
| Secondary data analysis from a cross-sectional prospective study between 1991 and 1998 | USA | 73% African-American | 264 mothers (107 (40.5%) CSA survivors), 1 excluded for excessive missing data | Community – from a prenatal clinic | 26.98 |
Schuetze and Eiden (2005)a
| Secondary data analysis from a cross-sectional prospective study between 1991 and 1998 | USA | 73% African-American, 27% Caucasian | 263 mothers (107 (40.6%) reported CSA) | Community – from a prenatal clinic | 26.99 |
Wright et al. (2005) | Cross-sectional | USA | 96% Caucasian | 79 mothers (all self-reported CSA) | Community - response to advert | 38.2 |
Study | Measure of CSA | Measure of parental stress | Analysis | Result | Global quality score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alexander et al. (2000) | Questions: When you were a child or adolescent, did anyone ever actually touch private parts of your body or make you touch theirs against your wishes or when you were asleep, drugged or in some other way helpless? Further questions were asked re age, frequency etc. if answered yes to above | PSI-SF | Analysis of covariance – main & interactive effects of CSA & relationship satisfaction on parenting stress. | No main effect of CSA on parenting stress (no figures provided). | Weak |
Barrett (2009) | 2 questions: 1) Has a stranger, acquaintance, date or relative ever tried or succeeded in doing something sexual to you against your wishes? 2) How old were you the first time this happened? | A scale taken from a women’s employment study which included items from the PSI | T-tests: Hierarchal multiple regression: | CSA mean stress score x Control mean stress score t(481) = −1.02, p = .38 (not sig). Cohen’s d = .15.
β = −.01, p = .90 (ns). | Moderate |
Buist and Janson (2001) | Abbreviated version of the Otago Women’s Health Survey (Martin, Anderson, Roman, & O’Shea, 1993). Asks details of the abuse, age of onset, age and gender of perpetrator, relationship to perpetrator and whether the victim confided in anyone at the time, regarding the abuse. | PSI | Two sample t-tests | Means for index and comparison groups not significantly different on either parent or child domain of PSI
BUT life stress subscale on PSI significantly higher in the index group (p = <.05). Cohen’s d = .65 (medium effect). | Moderate |
Douglas (2000) | Survey of Sexual Abuse (Tsai, Feldman-Summers & Edgar, 1979). Definition of sexual abuse limited to physical contact abuse occurring before the age of 16. | PSI-SF | T-tests and correlations | CSA mean stress score x Control mean stress score t(61) = 2.36, p = <.02. Cohen’s d could not be calculated. | Moderate |
Ethier et al. (1995) | Psychosocial interview (including questions about CSA) | PSI | Correlation |
r = .23 (negligent, not sig).
r = .33 (control, p = <.01). | Weak |
Harmer et al. (1999) | The Child Abuse & Trauma Scale (CATS) – sexual abuse scale | PSI | Correlation |
r = .31 (ns, but maternal depression & social support subscales deleted for correlations to minimise collinearity with other measures included in the study) | Weak |
Lang et al. (2010) | CTQ | PSI-SF | Correlations and multiple regression | PSI Defensive Responding: B = .12 (ns). PSI Parental Distress: B = .15 (ns). PSI Dysfunctional Interaction: B = .07 (ns). | Weak |
Lutenbacher (2000) | Researcher questions: 1) Mothers were asked whether, before age 18, they had ever been touched in a sexual way against their wishes Was this action violent? Y/N 3 nominal categories: no SA, nonviolent SA and violent SA | Everyday Stressors Index (ESI) | Correlation |
r = .22 (ns). | Weak |
Mapp (2006)a
| An adapted version of the questionnaire in Russell (1983): At least one contact or non-contact episode prior to the age of 18 where the perpetrator was at least 5 years older than the women or where force was used. | PSI | Path analysis |
r = .14 (ns). | Moderate |
Pazdera et al. (2013)a
| An adapted version of the questionnaire in Russell (1983): At least one contact or non-contact episode prior to the age of 18 where the perpetrator was at least 5 years older than the women or where force was used. | PSI | Path analysis (mediation) |
r = −.07 (ns). | Moderate |
Pereira et al. (2012) | CTQ | PSI-SF | Correlation & ordinary least squares regression with bootstrapping |
r = .13, p = <.05 | Moderate |
Renner et al. (2015)a
| An adapted version of the questionnaire in Russell (1983): At least one contact or non-contact episode prior to the age of 18 where the perpetrator was at least 5 years older than the women or where force was used. | PSI Parent domain (5 of 7 subscales) PSI child domain (2 subscales only) | Latent Profile Analysis | CSA group reported higher mean scores on 5 PSI parent domain subscales. Cohen’s d = .22/.35/.37 for health/social isolation/depression subscales respectively. Restriction of role and attachment subscale ns.
| Moderate |
Schuetze and Eiden (2005)a
| An adapted version of the questionnaire in Russell (1983): At least one contact or non-contact episode prior to the age of 18 where the perpetrator was at least 5 years older than the women or where force was used. | PSI | Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) | PSI Child Domain, r = .02 (ns). PSI Parent Domain, r = .18, p = <.01 | Moderate |
Wright et al. (2005) | Self-identification via a questionnaire, coded for severity by the researchers | PSI | Hierarchical regression analysis & mediator/moderator analysis | PSI Parent Domain mean scores markedly elevated on six of the seven subscales for CSA sample. PSI Child Domain x CSA severity, r = .01 (ns). | Weak |