This study had 3 aims: (1) to document the level of sexual abuse in a sample of juvenile detainees; (2) to examine whether those who were sexually abused reported greater psychological distress than those who were not sexually abused; and (3) to determine if church attendance buffered the association between sexual abuse and distress. The self-reported survey data were collected from 70 females and 157 males (95% African Americans) detained at the Dekalb County Juvenile Court who ranged in age from 10 to 17 years (M=14.79, SD=1.38). Prior sexual abuse and current psychological distress were measured with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory, respectively. Church attendance was measured by asking respondents how often they had attended church in the prior month. Among these 227 juveniles, 60 (26%) reported a history of sexual abuse, which is greater than that found in school-based studies. ANOVA revealed that sexual abuse was directly associated with distress, F(1, 226)=19.65, p < .001, as juveniles who were sexually abused (M=11.63, SE=.37) displayed greater distress than those who were not sexually abused (M=9.70, SE=.22). ANOVA also revealed a significant interaction between sexual abuse and church attendance, F(1, 226)=5.61, p < .02. Juveniles who were sexually abused but attended church had lower distress than those who were sexually abused but did not attend church. Thus, church attendance buffered the association between sexual abuse and distress.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Child/Adolescent Mental Health, Religion
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.