Date of Conferral
8-22-2024
Date of Award
August 2024
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Psychology
Advisor
Sandra Rasmussen
Abstract
Not long ago, researchers and providers learned about the negative impacts that adverse childhood experiences have on not only the psychological health of the survivor but also the physical. Adverse physical health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, autoimmune diseases, and more were identified as a risk for this population. These adverse outcomes occur largely due to immune dysfunction through systemic inflammation. One group within those who have adverse childhood experiences is those who have survived childhood sexual abuse. This group has experienced profound trauma that can impact them many years later psychologically, physically, and spiritually. Resilience factors for this group that promote better mental health outcomes have been researched throughout the years. However, whether some of these factors also predict healthier immune function is unknown. This quantitative study included a psychoneuroimmunological framework to explore whether five various environmental factors predicted lower levels of four inflammatory biomarkers using archival data from a longitudinal study. The results revealed a significant predictive negative relationship ranging from weak to very weak between feelings of closeness to parents, feeling close to someone, and involvement in afterschool activities with at least one of the biomarkers. Additionally, there was a significant weak level of variance between all environmental factors together with TNF-a and IL-6. These results impact positive social change opportunities to ultimately aid survivors in reducing the longevity, pervasiveness, and severity of this trauma.
Recommended Citation
Colombo, Samantha Dewey, "Factors that Predict Immune Function Resilience Among Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 16302.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/16302
