Attribution Retraining with Sexually Abused Children: Review of Techniques

Clinicians increasingly use empirically based cognitive-behavioral techniques in their treatment of child victims of sexual abuse. Attribution retraining is often a primary component of this work, and it involves various techniques aimed at decreasing abuse-related self-blame and encouraging the chi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child maltreatment 2002-02, Vol.7 (1), p.64-75
Main Authors: Celano, Marianne, Hazzard, Ann, Campbell, Susan K., Lang, Claudia B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Art Therapy
Attributions
Child
Child abuse & neglect
Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology
Child Abuse, Sexual - therapy
Children & youth
Cognitive Dissonance
Cognitive Therapy
Humans
Internal-External Control
Literature reviews
Longitudinal Studies
Play Therapy
Preschool Children
Psychology
Retraining
Role Playing
Sex crimes
Sexually abused children
Techniques
Therapy
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Summary:Clinicians increasingly use empirically based cognitive-behavioral techniques in their treatment of child victims of sexual abuse. Attribution retraining is often a primary component of this work, and it involves various techniques aimed at decreasing abuse-related self-blame and encouraging the child to attribute responsibility for the abuse to the perpetrator. This article reviews literature that highlights the complexity of self and other blame for sexually abused children in terms of developmental status, the multifaceted nature and interrelationships of abuse-specific attributions, and the psychological effects of self-blame and perpetrator blame. A review of written attribution retraining techniques developed by diverse authors for use with sexually abused children and their nonoffending parents is provided, including written and verbal techniques and techniques using games and the arts. The relative utility of different approaches with children of various stages of development is discussed, along with the need for empirical research regarding the effectiveness of these techniques.
ISSN:1077-5595
1552-6119
DOI:10.1177/1077559502007001006