Perceived Parental Attachment and Psychological Distress Among Child Sexual Abuse Survivors: The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies

PurposePrevious studies shed light on the potential role of secure parental attachment in mitigating the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) on the survivors’ long-term psychological distress. However, few studies have explored both approach and avoidance coping strategies as mediators of the link b...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Shen, Fei (Author) ; Liu, Yanhong (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: Journal of family violence
Year: 2024, Volume: 39, Issue: 6, Pages: 1-13
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Psychological Distress
Coping
Parental Attachment
Child Sexual Abuse
Description
Summary:PurposePrevious studies shed light on the potential role of secure parental attachment in mitigating the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) on the survivors’ long-term psychological distress. However, few studies have explored both approach and avoidance coping strategies as mediators of the link between parental attachment and psychological distress in a nonclinical sample. The purpose of this study was to examine the respective mediating effects of approach coping and avoidance coping on the relationship between perceived parental attachment, CSA severity, and psychological distress.MethodOur sample included 427 adults with a history of CSA. Participants were recruited from various social media websites (e.g., Facebook, Craigslist, discussion board, university announcement board). We conducted a mediation analysis with bootstrapping.ResultsWe found that parental attachment significantly predicted CSA survivors’ psychological distress. Additionally, both approach coping and avoidance coping mediated the effect of perceived parental attachment on psychological distress. CSA severity was found to be a nonsignificant predictor of psychological distress.ConclusionThese findings may help develop interventions that enhance CSA survivors’ effective copings strategies to ultimately reduce psychological distress.
ISSN:1573-2851
DOI:10.1007/s10896-023-00568-w