Psychometrics of a Child Report Measure of Maternal Support Following Disclosure of Sexual Abuse

Date

2017

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Journal of child sexual abuse

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound child-report measure of maternal support following disclosure of child sexual abuse. Maternal support following disclosure of child sexual abuse is an important predictor of child adjustment; however, this construct is not well defined, and a psychometrically sound method to assess maternal support from a child’s perspective does not exist. Demographic and abuse-specific information was collected via structured interview from 146 mother-child dyads presenting for an initial forensic evaluation at a child advocacy center. Mothers completed the Maternal Self-report Support Questionnaire, and children completed the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children and 32 items considered for inclusion in a new measure known as the Maternal Support Questionnaire – Child Report (MSQ-CR). Exploratory factor analysis of the MSQ-CR resulted in a three factor solution: Emotional Support (9 items), Skeptical Preoccupation (5 items), and Protection/Retaliation (6 items). Each factor demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability. Analyses with the Maternal Self-report Support Questionnaire and the Trauma Symptom Checklist supported the construct and concurrent validity of the new measure. The MSQ-CR demonstrated sound psychometric properties. Future research is needed to determine whether the MSQ-CR provides a more sensitive approximation of maternal support following disclosure of sexual abuse, relative to measures of global parent-child relations. Additional research is needed to contextualize discrepancies between mother and child ratings of maternal support. Important limitations of the investigation are reviewed.

Description

Keywords

maternal support, child sexual abuse, traumatic stress, measure development

Citation

Smith, D. W., Sawyer, G. K., Heck, N. C., Zajac, K., Solomon, D., Self-Brown, S., Danielson, C. K., … Ralston, M. E. (2017). Psychometrics of a Child Report Measure of Maternal Support following Disclosure of Sexual Abuse. Journal of child sexual abuse, 26(3), 270-287.

DOI