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A first aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of an open group therapy for sexually abused teenagers using a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest treatment design. A second aim was to explore whether differential gains were linked to an open versus a closed group format. Results indicate that sexually abused girls involved in an open group therapy showed significant gains relative to teenagers of the control group girls for the majority of the variables considered. Analyses contrasting the two formats of group therapy fail to identify statistical differences suggesting that both open and closed group formats are likely to be associated with the same significant gains for sexually abused teenagers.
Keywords: sexual abuse; adolescents; intervention; group therapy; evaluation
The proliferation of research on the consequences of child sexual abuse (CSA) and the questioning of so-called traditional approaches of intervention have paved the way for the development of innovative modalities to treating sexual abuse victims that pursue a variety of objectives and rely on varied therapeutic tools (Glaser, 1991; Keller, Cicchinelli, & Gardner, 1989; Putnam, 2003). Group therapy represents one of the most frequently used therapeutic modalities with this clientele (Kruczek & Vitanza, 1999; Tourigny, 1997). In a social context where demands for services is high and resources are limited, Kruczek and Vitanza (1999) state that group therapy offers important economic advantages relative to other forms of treatment. Furthermore, group intervention may be especially appropriate to reduce the social withdrawal and stigmatization so often expressed by CSA survivors (Friedrich, 1997; Silovsky & Hembree-Kigin, 1994). Finally, group intervention may be particularly suitable for adolescents who are at a stage of development where the presence of peers is particularly important and valuable (Kruczek & Vitanza, 1999).
Despite the proliferation of programs and the widespread use of group intervention, few evaluative studies have been conducted (Finkelhor & Berliner, 1995; Putman, 2003; Saunders, Berliner, & Hanson, 2003; Tourigny, 1997). A review of evaluative studies on the efficacy of group interventions offered to CSA children and adolescents concludes that group intervention is a promising mode of intervention. However, methodological limits in the majority of current studies preclude definitive conclusions as to their efficacy (Finkelhor & Berliner, 1995; Saunders et al., 2003; Tourigny, 1997).
Studies that have specifically examined the effects...