Rationale

Meta-analysis was the most appropriate form of data collection due to the inherently sensitive and inaccessible

nature of the topic; a high school student cannot ethically, effectively, or practically seek out and conduct their own

interviews or otherwise collect data on survivors of sexual abuse. A student would not have access to the necessary

resources to complete their own research, so it is most effective to analyze comprehensive data from professional

researchers at universities or laboratories. Four articles from reputable, peer-reviewed academic journals were chosen

for the meta-analysis: ​Characteristics of child physical and sexual abuse as predictors of psychopathology; Sexual

abuse characteristics associated with survivor psychopathology; The clinical correlates of reported childhood sexual

abuse:An association between age at trauma onset and severity of depression and PTSD in adults; a​ nd ​Depressive

symptom trajectories among sexually abused youth: Examining the effects of parental perpetration and age of abuse

onset.​

All four sources deal with the immediate and long-term effects of child sexual abuse; the first three are more

general, listing many different effects and giving explanations and data on their prevalence and impact. All four sources

deal with common characteristics of childhood sexual abuse and their effect on future psychopathology in the victim;

the first three are more comprehensive, explaining many different influencing factors. However, the researcher

experienced difficulties with finding these general case studies consistently as many are more specialized around a

specific factor, such as age of onset of the abuse. For this reason, the fourth source, ​Depressive symptom trajectories

among sexually abused youth: Examining the effects of parental perpetration and age of abuse onset, ​does not fit as

well with the first three sources, as it focuses mostly on two specific factors. However, this is nonetheless a very

important effect to study, and the gaps in information from some of the sources were made up for by comparing many

different ideas from each source in the meta-analysis.

Source Age of Onset and Severity and Concurrent Abuse Sex and Other
Duration of Abuse Parental and Type of Abuse Demographics
Perpetration

Characteristics of earlier onset of “...greater severity of “Because child abuse “An estimated 27%
child physical and physical and sexual childhood abuse, victims frequently of females and 5% of
sexual abuse as abuse is associated either physical or experience more males in the United
with more severe sexual, predicts poor than one form of States will
predictors of
depressive, anxiety, psychological health victimization, experience sexual
psychopathology and PTSD symptoms and suicidality in investigating abuse or assault prior
(Adams et al., 2018) adolescents and multiple forms of to age 19”
“...younger children adulthood” abuse within the
are largely incapable same model is “...prior research
of defending necessary to suggests males and
themselves or pinpoint precisely females respond
recruiting social which abuse differently to
support and as a characteristics are the stressful life events”
result, they supper most important
feelings of learned determinants of “...female and male
helplessness and specific types of physical abuse
poor self-efficacy” psychopathology” victims are,
respectively, six and
children in the early “victims of both four times more
childhood forms of abuse likely to report
development state [sexual and physical] suicidal ideation than
depend on forging are at an especially non-victims of the
relationships with high risk” same sex”
their caregivers, and
victimization by “sexual abuse is a “...females are at a
these individuals stronger predictor higher risk for
creates a feeling of than physical abuse developing
betrayal, which has a of depression, depression, anxiety,
profound anxiety, and suicidal and PTSD even
psychological effect behavior” though males are
more likely to
“...victims of early experience traumatic
childhood abuse events”
report feeling
‘betrayed’ by their “...females report
caregivers and greater psychological
suffered greater distress following
psychological childhood sexual
distress throughout assault than
the lifespan” males…”

“...individuals abused
for longer periods of
time demonstrate
more depressive
symptoms, suicidal
ideation, suicide
attempts, and
self-harm, whereas
individuals abused
for shorter periods
are less likely to
suffer from
depression”

“...longer duration of
sexual abuse
increases the
 likelihood of
developing
adult-onset PTSD”

Onset Severity Concurrent Abuse/ Sex and Other

Type of Abuse Demographics

Sexual abuse “...lower survivor “Group means “...this relation

characteristics functioning was indicated that typically indicates
associated with associated with older children with PTSD higher functioning
survivor age at abuse were more likely to among victims of
psychopathology onset…” have experienced extrafamilial abuse”
(Ruggiero et al., physical abuse and
2000) “...regression SA of higher
coefficients indicated frequency”
that a greater number
of avoidant behaviors
were associated with
an older age at abuse
onset…”

“...regression
coefficients indicated
that a greater number
of avoidant behaviors
were associated
with…. SA of greater
frequency and
duration…”

“...lower survivor
functioning was
associated
with...greater
frequency and
duration of abuse”

Onset Severity Concurrent Abuse/ Sex and Other

Type of Abuse Demographics

The clinical correlates “...patients in the AA “the exposure to “There are

of reported childhood [adolescent abuse traumatic events, well-established risk
sexual abuse: onset] group were particularly during factors [for major
significantly more childhood, can depressive disorder
An association
likely to have CAPS increase the risk of and posttraumatic
between age at trauma scores in the developing PTSD in stress disorder] such
onset and severity of severe/extreme range adulthood, and this as female gender,
depression and PTSD than were patients in vulnerability can family history
in adults the EA [early abuse vary according to the positive for
(Schoedl et al., 2010) onset] group” frequency, intensity, depression, past
and duration of personal history of
15.4% of patients in traumatic events” depression, and early
 the EA group were life trauma that
evaluated with severe increase the
PTSD while 84.6% likelihood of
of patients in the AA developing MDD
group were evaluated and/or PTSD”
with severe PTSD
“...women with a
“The relative risk of history of childhood
having a high CAPS abuse with or
[Clinician-Administe without current
red PTSD Scale] major depression
score and a low score exhibited increased
on the BDI [Beck adrenocorticotropin
Depression (ACTH) responses to
Inventory] when the psychological stress
reported sexual abuse as compared
began after age 12 with controls”
was 2.3 times higher
than when the sexual
abuse began after age
12”

“When the age at

first
exposure to sexual
abuse was
dichotomized as
before or after 12
years old
(roughly
corresponding with
puberty onset), it was
found that those with
earlier exposure
(during childhood or
adolescence) were
more likely to
have severe and
prominent depressive
symptoms following
violent victimization
in adulthood”

Onset Severity Concurrent Abuse/ Sex and Other

Type of Abuse Demographics

Depressive symptom “...exposure to early “...youth victimized

trajectories among adversity is an by caregivers
sexually abused antecedent risk factor evince increased
that significantly internalizing and
youth: Examining the
affects adolescent externalizing
effects of parental depressive symptom behaviors
perpetration and age development compared to youth
of abuse onset such that youth with victimized by non
(Carlson et al., 2018) increased early caregivers”
adversity are more
likely to follow “...sexual abuse
increasing or high perpetrated by
stable symptom victims’
trajectories” acquaintances and
relatives, compared
to sexual abuse
perpetrated
by strangers, more
strongly associates
with posttraumatic
stress disorder
diagnoses”

“...perpetration by
family members,
compared to
perpetration by
nonfamily members,
leads to heightened
posttraumatic
stress disorder
symptoms among
adolescent victims”

“ Parental
perpetration of CSA,
which refers to
sexual abuse
committed
by a biological or
stepparent, may
represent a more
severe
violation of trust
compared to
victimization by a
relationally
distant family
member or an
unrelated person,
ultimately
exacerbating the
victim’s
development of
depressive
symptomatology”
Interpretation and Analysis

The four sources evaluated in this meta-analysis agreed on the vast majority of theories and points.

Interestingly, however, several different explanations were put forth concerning the link between duration of the abuse

and whether the victim develops PTSD or depression. Carlson et al. (1997) contend that sudden negative events are

more likely to cause PTSD, while slowly-developing negative events are more likely to cause depression. Their

research supports this, and they theorize it is related to how victims adapt to their situation. The authors believe this is

because when an event is more gradual, the victim can adapt and not experience feelings of being overwhelmed.

However, other sources negate this conjecture, finding no such correlation. In fact, J. Adams et al. (2018) found that

longer duration was actually a stronger predictor of both PTSD and depression than short duration or one time abuse.

These conflicting results reflect the need for more extensive research into the factors that affect future psychopathology

of victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Conclusion

These results will help future researchers see what patients and victims really go through. This will help them

find the root cause of their symptoms so they can develop better treatments to prevent the. Using meta-analysis to

extrapolate this new data was helpful because it created data for a general population- not just for those victims in

treatment centers, or for those of a certain age- by combining these types of studies.