Psychopathology and Psychological Resilience in Adolescents Exposed to Sexual Abuse: A Case-Control Study

Sexual Abuse and Adolescent Psychopathology

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of sexual abuse on adolescents by examining differences in depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress between those with and without a history of sexual abuse. A further objective was to evaluate the role of psychological resilience, both as a differentiating factor between the groups and as a predictor of mental health outcomes within the abused group.
Methods: The study included 114 adolescents (aged 12–18 years), divided into a case group of 56 with a history of sexual abuse and a control group of 58 with no such history. Participants completed the -21, the Children’s Revised Impact of Event Scale, and the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-12. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance to compare the groups and hierarchical multiple regression to assess the predictive role of resilience, controlling for age and gender.
Results: The case group reported significantly higher levels of depression [F(1, 109) = 13.04, p < 0.001], anxiety [F(1, 109] = 10.31, p = 0.002), stress [F(1, 109) = 6.40, p = 0.013], and post-traumatic stress [F(1, 109) = 18.62, p < 0.001], as well as lower levels of psychological resilience [F(1, 109) = 14.32, p < 0.001], compared to the control group. Within the case group, psychological resilience was a significant negative predictor of depression (β = -0.35, p = 0.011), stress (β = -0.30, p = 0.026), and post-traumatic stress (β = -0.44, p = 0.001), but not anxiety (β = −0.06, p = 0.67).
CONCLUSION: Adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse exhibit significant psychopathological symptoms and lower resilience. Psychological resilience appears to be a crucial protective factor, mitigating the severity of depression, stress, and post-traumatic stress. These findings underscore the importance of interventions aimed at fostering resilience in this vulnerable population.