J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2006 Mar;45(2):165-173.

Psychopathology of Sexually Abused Children In Korea

• Kim TK
• Kim SH
• Choi KS
• Choi JY
• Lim JY
• Eom SY
• Shin YJ

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to identify psychopathologies of sexually abused children and intervening variables of symptom severity.
METHODS
Eighty-four school-aged children were identified for sexual abuse from a center for child sexual abuse by psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and social workers. We analyzed correlations among symptom severity, types of sexual abuse, gender, age, relationship with the abuser, family system, and current and past psychopathologies.
RESULTS
The percentage of victims with particular psychiatric disorders (current) were 79.8%. Children without identifiable disorders were 20.2%, but these children had significantly increased scores on self report scales of anxiety (RCMAS), depression (CDI), and withdrawal scores on parental reports of child behavior checklist (K-CBCL). Sixty nine percent of abused children had primary diagnosis related to sexual abuse in DSM-IV diagnositic system. PTSD was 41.7%, depressive disorder was 38.1%, and anxiety disorder was 21.4%. Psychopathologies were more severe if perpetrators were of acquaintance or if victims had previous psychopathologies or parent-child relational problems. Types of primary caregiver and older age were also related to the severity of psychopathologies.
CONCLUSION
Present study suggests that most victims of childhood sexual abuse suffer from significant psychological distress. Intervening variables are relationship with the perpetrator, previous mental health status, age of the child, type of the primary care taker, and the quality of parent-child relationship.

Keyword

Child sexual abuse; Psychopathology; Symptom severity

MeSH Terms

Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders
Caregivers
Checklist
Child Abuse, Sexual
Child Behavior
Child*
Depression
Depressive Disorder
Diagnosis
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Humans
Korea*
Mental Health
Parent-Child Relations
Parents
Primary Health Care
Psychiatry
Psychology
Psychopathology*
Self Report
Sex Offenses
Social Workers
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
Weights and Measures