Research shows cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) works best to treat psychological problems of sexually abused children
Ramchandani P, Jones DPH
The Bottom Line:
Although there is only limited research looking at the treatment of children who are experiencing psychological problems due to sexual abuse, currently the strongest evidence of treatment effectiveness is for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). |
What problem is being addressed?
Children who have been sexually abused can have a wide range of mental health problems that can last for many years. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder are some of the conditions they may develop. Many children also begin to show behavior problems. Finding the most effective treatment for them may be crucial to their future mental health and personal development.
What intervention is being tested?
This is a review of the effectiveness of psychological treatments for mental health problems in children who have experienced sexual abuse. Treatments included individual and group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), individual and group therapy, and family therapy.
What is the real scientific evidence?
Twelve studies were included in this review, all of which described psychological interventions with sexually abused children, some as young as 2 years of age.
The studies were not all strong in terms of how well they were conducted. In one of the most rigorous studies, preschoolers received 12 sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with their non-offending parents or caregiver. The therapy was intended to help both the children and their caregivers understand what happened, address why it happened, manage any inappropriate sexualized behaviours the child may have, and treat the child’s fears and anxiety.
The children who were treated with CBT showed greater improvements in their behavior and greater reductions in inappropriate, sexualized behaviour compared to a control group who received a different type of therapy. The evidence for the effectiveness of CBT with older children was not as strong.
Futher research is needed to find out how long the benefits of
CBT continue, how to predict which children will benefit and which might be made worse by therapy, and whether children who apparently have no symptoms soon after the abuse will develop problems as they mature.
The preceding is a summary of:
Ramchandani P, Jones DPH. Treating psychological symptoms in sexually abused children. British Journal of Psychiatry 2003, 183: 484-490.
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