What Makes the Finger Point Internally? Predictors of Self-Blame/Guilt in Sexually Abused Boys and Girls ????? ???????? University of Nebraska-Lincoln I ntroduction Blaming oneself for a problem that is beyond personal control may further promote acceptance of discrimination, a lack of recognition of unfair treatment, and finally acceptance of such treatment (Foster, Matheson, & Poole, 1994). Self-blame among adult survivors of sexual abuse predicts difficult adjustment to interpersonal situations, PTSD symptoms, and greater physical health consequences (Filipas & Ullman 2006). Child sexual abuse (CSA) is more common in females than in males. Little research has done on the different effects of CSA factors between genders for lack of affected male participants. CSA factors such as amount of force used, duration, age at onset, and relationship with the perpetrator are predictors of self-blame/guilt (Zinzow, Seth, Jackson, Niehaus, & Fitzgerald, 2010). This study used path analyses to examine potential direct and mediating effects of various variables relating to CSA on self-blame/guilt; and also how the variables differently interacted with regard to the gender of the child. Hypotheses  There will be a mediating effect of duration of sexual abuse, age at onset of abuse, and social support for self-blame/guilt in both genders, though not necessarily by the same path.  Whether or not force was used would be a mediating effect on boys’ self-blame/guilt; and total anxiety would have a direct effect on girls’ self-blame/guilt. Method Participants 235 girls, mean age years; 70.6% Caucasian 61 boys, mean age 9.6 years; 79% Caucasian Self-Report Measures  The Children’s Impact of Traumatic Events Scale (CITES-R; Wolfe, Gentile, Michienzi, Sas, & Wolfe, 1991) measures post-traumatic stress symptoms.  The Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS; Reynolds & Richmond, 1985), determines a broad distress score and general anxiety scores. Procedures Local Child Advocacy Center recruited participants to Project SAFE (Sexual Abuse Family Education), 12-week cognitive behavioral group treatment program for sexually abused youth and their non-offending family members. Clinical coordinator gaged interest, arranged sessions, and brought in participants. All participants completed assessments at pre- and post- treatment. Non-offending caregivers and children completed measures independently and confidentially. Project SAFE graduate students and research assistants collected, coded and entered participants’ data. Only child and adolescent participants’ data was analyzed for this study. References Filipas, H. H., & Ullman, S. E. (2006). Child sexual abuse, coping responses, self-blame, posttraumatic stress disorder, and adult sexual revictimization. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21(5), Foster, M. D., Matheson, K., & Poole, M. (1994). Responding to sexual discrimination: The effects of societal versus self-blame. The Journal of Social Psychology, 134(6), Quas, J. A., Goodman, G. S., & Jones, D. H. (2003). Predictors of attributions of self-blame and internalizing behavior problems in sexually abused children. Journal of Child Psychology And Psychiatry, 44(5), Reynolds, C. R. (1980). Concurrent validity of what I think and feel: The Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, Wolfe, V. V., Gentile, C., Michienzi, T., Sas, L., & Wolfe, D. A. (1991). The children’s impact of traumatic events scale: A measure of post-sexual-abuse PTSD symptoms. Behavioral Assessment, 13, Zinzow, H., Seth, P., Jackson, J., Niehaus, A., & Fitzgerald, M. (2010). Abuse and parental characteristics, attributions of blame, and psychological adjustment in adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Journal Of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations For Victims, Survivors, & Offenders, 19(1), Discussion The path analyses showed significant differences among gender: o The only predictor with a direct effect on self-blame/guilt for both genders was total anxiety which acted as a mediator for the indirect effects of different predictors depending on the gender. o Social support and force had direct effects on self-blame/guilt in girls; while total number of sexual abuse occurrences had a direct effect for boys’ self- blame/guilt Consistent with previous literature, duration and age at onset emerged as predictors with indirect effects on self-blame/guilt in both genders (Zinzow, Seth, Jackson, Niehaus, & Fitzgerald, 2010). Inconsistent with previous research, force emerged with a direct effect on the criterion in girls (Quas, Goodman, & Jones 2003). Further Directions A larger sample for males would help expand the knowledge of what aspects of child sexual abuse affect self-blame/guilt and in what ways. A more diverse sample would determine if effects of self-blame/guilt are different based on ethnicity. Other variables such as type of abuse or perpetrator relationship could be analyzed to determine if direct, indirect, and mediating effects would change depending on the variables involved. Treatment influences on self-blame/guilt could be examined to determine what methods work best given gender, ethnicity, age, and other variables to reduce effects of self-blame/guilt and child sexual abuse. Results H1 was partially supported; duration, age at onset, and social support were mediating effects for self-blame/guilt in girls, however only age at onset had a mediating effect for boys. H2 was partially supported; force had a mediating effect with girls not boys, and both genders had total anxiety having a direct effect on self-blame/guilt. Correlations v Contributions Total number of occurrences was not correlated with the criterion but contributed significantly to the boys self-blame/guilt model.  In boys, number of occurrences showed a direct and indirect effect on self-blame/guilt. However, number of occurrences had no effect in girls. Age of child was negatively correlated to the criterion in boys but not girls; it also did not have a significant contribution to self-blame/guilt in either model. Force was positively correlated and social support was negatively correlated to the criterion in girls but neither was correlated to self-blame/guilt in boys; both variables also contributed to only the girls self-blame/guilt model. Total anxiety was positively correlated with self-blame/guilt for both genders and had a direct effect on both criterion models. Methods Hypotheses Results Introduction Discussion Acknowledgement: Child Maltreatment Lab University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dr. Hansen Table 1. Correlations with Self-Blame/Guilt Significant p <.05