Exploratory Analyses of Cognitive Schemas for Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse Survivors: Implications for the Research to Practice Gap Available to Purchase

Childhood abuse is pervasive and can contribute to long-term adverse consequences for the victim. Child advocacy centers (CAC) provide a community-based and coordinated response to intervention, including mental health counseling. Although evidence-based treatments include techniques to address problematic thinking, these are reported as less preferred and underused by CAC counselors. The present study employs multivariate analysis to examine the influence of cognitive schemas on treatment outcomes for 58 children who received services from a CAC. We found significant improvements in pre to post scores on the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC) subscales for depression and anxiety. Additionally, treatment outcomes of participants with clinically significant pre-Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale (TABS) total scores significantly differed from participants with non-significant pre-TABS scores. Clinical and research implications are presented related to counseling services for survivors of child abuse.