The psychiatric histories and projective test responses of 102
sexually abused girls (ages 5 to 16) were examined to determine if
some particular characteristics of sexual abuse were reliably
associated with more serious impairment. Characteristics of abuse
significantly associated with greater psychological disturbance were:
more than one perpetrator, an early age of abuse onset (before age 7
or 8), and periods of intense and frequent abuse episodes (more than 3
or 4 times per month). What enhanced the child's capacity to recover
was the presence of a relatively stable two-parent
household. Implications for prognosis and treatment are discussed.