TY - JOUR
T1 - Etiological Pathways to the Emergence of Preteen Problematic Sexual Behavior
T2 - An Exploratory Mediational Model
AU - Allen, Brian
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Dr. Allen is supported by grants R01HD097707 and P50HD089922 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NICHD or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2022
Y1 - 2022
N2 - Studies examining the etiology of problematic sexual behavior (PSB) among pre-teen children often rely on identifying correlational relationships without examining potential causal mechanisms. This study describes an exploratory analysis of a potential mediational model where child sexual abuse (CSA) and child physical abuse (CPA) predict the onset of PSB through their impact on the emergence of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and self-dysregulation. The caregivers of 189 children between the ages of 3 and 11 years presenting for mental health treatment in the United States completed a battery of measures designed to assess each of the variables in the model. Cross-sectional, regression-based mediational analyses showed that the overall model performed adequately (R = 0.33, R 2 = 0.11, F = 3.07, p =.004). CSA exerted a direct effect on PSB that was not mediated through either PTS or self-dysregulation. However, no direct effect for CPA was found. Rather, CPA exerted a significant effect on the display of self-dysregulation, which in turn was associated with PSB. These results are discussed in light of clinical implications and directions for further research.
AB - Studies examining the etiology of problematic sexual behavior (PSB) among pre-teen children often rely on identifying correlational relationships without examining potential causal mechanisms. This study describes an exploratory analysis of a potential mediational model where child sexual abuse (CSA) and child physical abuse (CPA) predict the onset of PSB through their impact on the emergence of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and self-dysregulation. The caregivers of 189 children between the ages of 3 and 11 years presenting for mental health treatment in the United States completed a battery of measures designed to assess each of the variables in the model. Cross-sectional, regression-based mediational analyses showed that the overall model performed adequately (R = 0.33, R 2 = 0.11, F = 3.07, p =.004). CSA exerted a direct effect on PSB that was not mediated through either PTS or self-dysregulation. However, no direct effect for CPA was found. Rather, CPA exerted a significant effect on the display of self-dysregulation, which in turn was associated with PSB. These results are discussed in light of clinical implications and directions for further research.
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U2 - 10.1177/10790632221128313
DO - 10.1177/10790632221128313
M3 - Article
C2 - 36120955
AN - SCOPUS:85138242500
SN - 1079-0632
JO - Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment
JF - Sexual Abuse: Journal of Research and Treatment
ER -
