Vulnerability or Resilience to Intergenerational Sexual Abuse: The Role of Maternal Factors
Abstract
This study examined vulnerability or resilience to intergenerational sexual abuse. The sample included 196 African American mothers and their children of which 96 were sexually abused and 100 had no reported incidents of abuse. Four groups were formed based on maternal report of a history of childhood sexual abuse and the child's abuse status: (a) sexually abused mothers of children who were not sexually abused, (b) sexually abused mothers whose child was sexually abused, (c) mothers with no history of sexual abuse whose children had no history of sexual abuse, and (d) mothers with no history of sexual abuse who had a sexually abused child. The findings indicate that mothers who break the cycle of abuse were functioning as well as the nonsexually abused mothers in the study. Furthermore, sexually abused mothers with abused children evidenced significantly more disturbed functioning than the other three groups of mothers, particularly in their attachment relationships.
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In a study comparing four groups of mothers and children, negative parenting practices were associated with child sexual abuse, whereas a maternal history of sexual abuse itself did not appear to account for it.
“In a compelling study comparing four groups of mothers and their children (non-sexually abused mothers with non-sexually abused children, non-sexually abused mothers with sexually abused children, sexually abused mothers with non-sexually abused children and sexually abused mothers with sexually abused children), negative parenting practices were linked to CSA, but sexual abuse history per se did”
From Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Opportunities: Parenting, Programs, and the Reduction of Risk (2018) · cites this paper as Leifer et al., 2004
In that study, mothers of sexually abused children reported emotional, psychological and relational difficulties that may have affected their parenting and put their children at risk of sexual abuse, regardless of the mothers' own abuse history.
“Regardless of mothers' CSA history, sexually abused children in this study had mothers who were experiencing emotional, psychological and relational difficulties that may have impacted on their parenting and exposed their children to CSA risk (Leifer et al., 2004).”
From Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Opportunities: Parenting, Programs, and the Reduction of Risk (2018) · cites this paper as Leifer et al., 2004
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References 67 · Cited by 67
- Authors
- Leifer, M., Kilbane, T., & Kalick, S.
- Affiliations
- Illinois School of Professional Psychology
- Loyola University Chicago (US)
- Venue
- Child Maltreatment
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2004-02
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 78-91
- ISSN
- 1077-5595 (ISSN-L)
- 1552-6119
- OpenAlex
- W2031222243
- Cited by
- 67
- References
- 67
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 0.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Child Maltreatment (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Cancer Institute (90CA1518, 90CA1565)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Military, Security, and Education Studies
- Keywords
- child sexual abuse, maternal function, resilience, African American mothers, attachment relationships, family functioning, cycle of abuse
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Sexual, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Male, Maternal Behavior, Mother-Child Relations, Mothers, Object Attachment, Intergenerational Relations
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