Daigneault, I., Tourigny, M., & Cyr, M. (2004).

Description of Trauma and Resilience in

Sexually Abused Adolescents: An Integrated Assessment. Journal of Trauma Practice, 3(2),
23–47. https://doi-org.libproxy.howardcc.edu/10.1300/J189v03n02pass:[_]02

This study describes the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and their relation to
resilience on adolescents. Researchers administered the Multidimensional Trauma Recovery and
Resiliency Interview to evaluate the mental state of thirty female adolescent CSA survivors. The
questionnaires assessed common effects of CSA, including depression, anxiety, PTSD,
dissociation, anger, self-destructive behaviors, and interpersonal mistrust. The study found that
four factors had significance in determining resiliency; family violence, whether the abuse
involved penetration, whether the victim had disclosed the abuse, and whether the victim
participated in therapy. It is important to note that approximately one third of adolescent
survivors present no measurable symptoms as a result of their abuse.

This article’s three authors are highly qualified and their contact information is readily
available online. The article is part of the first author’s doctoral dissertation. Isabelle Daigneault,
PhD, is a clinical psychologist and post-doctoral researcher at the University of Quebec,
Montreal. The other two authors, both PhDs, are professors at other top Canadian universities.
The authors received financial support from several organizations, including the Quebec Council
for Social Research, and declared this on the first page of the study. The study was published in
2004 in the Journal of Trauma Practice, a reputable and scholarly resource cited by educated
researchers. While the publication date lies outside of the currency rule of 10 years, this study
remains the most comprehensive source on this topic and is therefore relevant. It is also reliable
and accurate. This article’s claim that, “Studies… on adolescents reveal numerous difficulties
such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), low self esteem,
somatization, psychosis, behavior problems, self-destructive behaviors, running away, truancy,
substance abuse, promiscuity, prostitution, and personality disturbances” is corroborated by Dr.
Jennifer Foster’s doctoral dissertation, “An Analysis of Trauma Narratives Perceptions of
Children on the Experience of Sexual Abuse”. The coverage is broad and deep, addressing all
aspects of the issue. The article gives background on both PTSD and CSA, and addresses all
possible discrepancies in the data. Finally, this study is objective. It acknowledges other possible
results and explanations. It is also written by three authors, all from different academic
backgrounds and universities.
Roberts, R., O'Connor, T., Dunn, J., Golding, J., & ALSPAC Study Team (2004). The effects of
child sexual abuse in later family life; mental health, parenting and adjustment of offspring.
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2003.07.006

This study examines the causal effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in an attempt to
determine why some CSA survivors do not develop the commonly known psychological effects,
such as anxiety and PTSD. The researchers found that the victim is more prone to psychological
effects if the abuse continued for longer periods, involved penetration, or was perpetrated by a
father or father figure. The victim’s age, the coping strategies employed, and the support given
are also significant. It also explored some non-psychological effects of CSA in later life. There
are links between CSA survivors and poor parenting. Possible explanations for this include the
adult victim having had poor parenting role models in their childhood, and the prevalence of
major depression and PTSD in CSA survivors, which can make it very difficult to take on the
responsibilities of parenting.

` The corresponding author, Ron Roberts, is a professor of psychology at Kingston

University. The other three authors are associated with the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s
College in London, and the United Kingdom Institute of Child Health. Additionally, the
ALSPAC study team contributed to this research. The ALSPAC study is part of a World Health
Organization initiated study. The study is supported by the Department of Health as well as the
Medical Research Council, and the study team “comprises interviewers, computer technicians,
laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, and managers”.
Published in 2003, this source falls out of the range of the general 10 year currency rule, but
remains the most comprehensive and reliable source on the parenting and general adjustment of
survivors later in life. The article’s claim that “CSA carries an elevated risk for… PTSD, suicide,
depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, summarization, dissociation, obsessive compulsive
disorders, phobias, paranoid ideation, substance abuse, eating disorders, and personality
disorder” is corroborated by the journal article “Childhood Sexual Abuse and Psychiatric
Disorder in Young Adulthood: 1. Prevalence of Sexual Abuse and Factors Associated with
Sexual Abuse” by David. M. Fergusson, PhD, et al. It has broad and deep coverage, assessing
contributing factors as well as the traditional psychological effects of CSA, in addition to its new
exploration of its effects on later family life. Finally, this source is objective. With four authors, a
third-party comprehensive study team, and the journal’s article review committee, every
statement in this article has been checked many times for objectivity and accuracy.