Post-Traumatic Growth, Dissociation, and Sexual Revictimization in Female Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors
Date
2020
Journal Title
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Child Maltreatment
Abstract
Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors are at high risk of sexual revictimization. At the same time, some
survivors report positive transformations resulting from the traumatic experience, a phenomenon known as post-traumatic
growth (PTG). Although one might expect PTG to be related to reduced risk of revictimization, the link between PTG and
revictimization has not been investigated. Furthermore, mixed findings regarding the associations between PTG and distress imply
that the effects of PTG are multifaceted. One potential explanation may be that dissociation shapes the implications of PTG,
making it more like denial than adaptive processing of traumatic experience. This longitudinal study explores (a) the associations
between PTG and sexual revictimization and (b) the moderating role of dissociation within the associations between PTG and
revictimization. Method: Participants were 111 female CSA survivors who participated in a 6-month efficacy trial evaluating the
effectiveness of group psychotherapy for CSA survivors with HIV risk factors. Results: Dissociation moderated the associations
between PTG and revictimization: Whereas PTG had nonsignificant effects on revictimization in participants with low
dissociation, it predicted elevated levels of revictimization in participants with high dissociation. Conclusions: Reports of
PTG among some CSA survivors might mirror dissociative beliefs that increase their risk of revictimization
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Keywords
child sexual abuse, revictimization, dissociation, post-traumatic growth, trauma
Citation
Lahav, Y., Ginzburg, K., & Spiegel, D. (2020). Post-traumatic growth, dissociation, and sexual revictimization in female childhood sexual abuse survivors. Child maltreatment, 25(1), 96-105.