Abstract

HABIGZANG, LUÍSA FERNANDA; DA CUNHA, RAFAELA CASSOL  and  KOLLER, SÍLVIA HELENA. PSYCHOPATHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF SHELTERED AND NON-SHELTERED SEXUALLY ABUSED GIRLS. Act.Colom.Psicol. [online]. 2010, vol.13, n.1, pp.35-42. ISSN 0123-9155.

The identification of a sexual abuse episode against a child or adolescent requires protective measures to ensure the safety of the victim and to avoid possible re-victimizations. Among the existing protective measures, the shelter is a resource for those children or adolescents who do not have any family member capable to ensure their care and safety. This study aimed to verify the presence of psychopathological symptoms in non-sheltered and sheltered girls who are victims of sexual abuse. The symptoms examined were: depression, anxiety, stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, and beliefs related to sexual abuse. The participants were 40 girls aged between nine and 16 years. Results showed that there was no significant difference between groups with respect to the symptoms assessed. Although some studies suggested that the shelter is a context that enhances psychopathological symptoms, the results of this research showed that in situations of extreme violence such as sexual abuse, the shelter might be a strategy which is not necessarily negative and does not contribute to the worsening of symptoms.

Keywords : Sexual abuse; shelter; psychopathological symptoms.

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