Spirituality, self-blame, and trauma symptoms among adolescents waiting for treatment after disclosing sexual abuse

Abstract

Background Adolescents who have been sexually abused commonly experience trauma symptoms, and many spend considerable time waiting for treatment. Objective This study examines the extent to which adolescent perceptions of divine spiritual support, divine spiritual struggles, and self-blame collected during a screening assessment predict trauma symptoms at the beginning of treatment. Participants and setting Participants were 224 adolescents (92.9 % female, Mean age = 13.46 years; 53.6 % identified as Hispanic/Latino/a and 24.1 % Black/African American). All obtained services at a Children's Advocacy Center in the southern United States. Methods Adolescents reported on trauma symptoms, divine spiritual support, divine spiritual struggles, and self-blame appraisals at a screening assessment (T1). Trauma symptoms were also reported a second time when beginning treatment (T2). Results The mean level of trauma symptoms declined over time for the total sample, t(223) = 9.37, p < .001, d = 0.63. Greater divine spiritual struggles (β = 0.10, t[219] = 1.98, p = .049, sr2 = 0.02) and self-blame for the abuse (β = 0.11, t[219] = 2.03, p = .044, sr2 = 0.02) at the screening assessment were associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms at the beginning of treatment, controlling for sex, trauma symptoms and age at the screening assessment. Conclusions Assessing adolescents' divine spiritual struggles and self-blame for sexual abuse may be important in triage and treatment planning for youth who have experienced sexual abuse.