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Sexual abuse as a factor in child maltreatment by adolescent mothers of preschool aged children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 March 2009

Susan J. Spieker ,
Lillian Bensley ,
Robert J. McMahon ,
Hellen Fung  and
Eric Ossiander
Susan J. Spieker*
Affiliation:
University of Washington, Center on Human Development and Disability
Lillian Bensley
Affiliation:
Washington State Department of Health
Robert J. McMahon
Affiliation:
University of Washington
Hellen Fung
Affiliation:
University of Washington
Eric Ossiander
Affiliation:
Washington State Department of Health
*
Susan SpiekerUniversity of Washington, Center on Human Development and Disability, Box 357920, Seattle, WA 98195–7920.
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Abstract

We examined the role of a history of sexual abuse as a predictor of child maltreatment by adolescent mothers in a prospective study of 104 mother-child dyads. Mothers were interviewed about any experienced abuse, and the mother-child dyads were observed in a teaching interaction and in the Strange Situation when the children were 1 year old. Three and a half years later, the mothers were interviewed about their Child Protective Service (CPS) contacts since the birth of their children. The percentage of mothers reporting CPS contacts for their own children was 15.4%, 38.5%, and 83.3%, respectively, for those mothers with no history of sexual abuse, a history of a single incident or brief duration of sexual abuse, and those mothers with a history of chronic sexual abuse (median 24 months duration; test of increasing trend significant at p < .000009). Mothers who reported having been chronically sexually abused as children were significantly more likely to have CPS contacts for their own children, after controlling for history of physical abuse, quality of early teaching interactions, and infant attachment security (both of which also predicted CPS contacts), race, IQ, welfare status at 1 year postpartum, and history of foster care.

Type
Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , Summer 1996 , pp. 497 - 509
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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