Self-Concept and Attributions About Other Women in Women With a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Self-concept literature and literature on childhood sexual abuse (CSA) suggests that women with a history of CSA may have particular ways of perceiving themselves, which, as well as impacting upon relationships within their everyday lives, may also have implications for therapy; whether this is on an individual basis or within a group. This research investigated self-concept and attributions about other women using an adapted version of the self-concept sorting task. Three groups of women were compared: women with a history of CSA, women experiencing depressed mood but without a history of CSA and a healthy non-clinical comparison group of hospital staff. To some extent the current findings supported previous studies indicating that women attempting to cope with the consequences of a history of CSA have a negative self-concept. However, there was evidence to suggest that certain self-aspects are protective or protected. Similarly, there is some support for previous evidence of difficult relationships with mothers. Possible explanations for these findings were discussed and areas for future research suggested. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.