Date of Conferral

7-22-2024

Date of Award

July 2024

Degree

Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

School

Psychology

Advisor

Dr. Chris Kladopoulos

Abstract

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide public health issue. Although CSA has been researched internationally, research on African American women who self-report CSA remains limited. Utilizing secondary data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a quantitative study was conducted to explore whether religion and social support were related and differed as a function of CSA presence versus absence among African American women between ages 33 and 43. This study was grounded in resiliency theory, which is rooted in the study of adversity and is a strength based approach. A cross-comparative correlation design was conducted. Religion and social support scores between the self-reported CSA and non-CSA participants were compared. Results revealed the CSA group showed lower religion and social support than the non-CSA group. Religion and social support scores were positively correlated for each group but did not differ between groups. Results of the study suggest that religion and social support could be both protective factors and risk factors and are discussed relative to resiliency theory. Positive social change may be promoted by the present findings through developing and informing culturally competent policies and clinical practices that support preventive and clinical interventions associated with adaptive functioning for this population. Protective factors promoting resilience can be incorporated into the treatment milieu as part of a multicultural framework and used to enhance and promote practitioner training, including graduate academic work, supervised field training, and continuing education for practitioners in clinical and community program settings.

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