Etiological Pathways to the Emergence of Preteen Problematic Sexual Behavior: An Exploratory Mediational Model

dc.contributor.authorAllen, Brian
dc.date.accessioned2022-10-13T18:31:18Z
dc.date.available2022-10-13T18:31:18Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractStudies examining the etiology of problematic sexual behavior (PSB) among pre-teen children often rely on identifying correlational relationships without examining potential causal mechanisms. This study describes an exploratory analysis of a potential mediational model where child sexual abuse (CSA) and child physical abuse (CPA) predict the onset of PSB through their impact on the emergence of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms and self-dysregulation. The caregivers of 189 children between the ages of 3 and 11 years presenting for mental health treatment in the United States completed a battery of measures designed to assess each of the variables in the model. Cross-sectional, regression-based mediational analyses showed that the overall model performed adequately (R = 0.33, R2 = 0.11, F = 3.07, p = .004). CSA exerted a direct effect on PSB that was not mediated through either PTS or self-dysregulation. However, no direct effect for CPA was found. Rather, CPA exerted a significant effect on the display of self-dysregulation, which in turn was associated with PSB. These results are discussed in light of clinical implications and directions for further research.en_US
dc.identifier.citationAllen, B. (2022). Etiological pathways to the emergence of preteen problematic sexual behavior: An exploratory mediational model. Sexual Abuse, 10790632221128313.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10790632221128313
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/5576
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherSexual Abuseen_US
dc.subjectproblematic sexual behavioren_US
dc.subjectpreteenen_US
dc.subjectcausal mechanismsen_US
dc.subjectself-dysregulationen_US
dc.subjectclinical implicationsen_US
dc.titleEtiological Pathways to the Emergence of Preteen Problematic Sexual Behavior: An Exploratory Mediational Modelen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

Files