Family Characteristics and the Coping Behaviour Associatedwith Duration and Frequency of Sexual Assaul

• Main Authors: Adi Fahrudin, Durin Edward, Husmiati Yusuf, Wan Anor Wan Sulaiman, Mohd Dahlan Hj. A. Malek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: HQ The family. Marriage. Woman; L Education (General)
• Online Access: https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25176/1/Family%20Characteristics%20and%20the%20Coping%20Behaviour%20Associated%20with%20Duration%20and%20Frequency%20of%20Sexual%20Assault.pdf; https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/25176/
• Institution: Universiti Malaysia Sabah

This study reports the sexual abuse of children and their trauma post-assault in Sabah, Malaysia. The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between family characteristics and coping behavior associated with the duration and frequency of sexual assault of the child survivors. Eighty children who reported sexual assault through a One Stop Crisis Centre in an urban hospital were studied. The main research instrument used was adapted from the Adolescence Coping Scale. The results of the study show that there are no significant differences in the coping behavior of victims according to the frequency and duration of their sexual abuse. The relationship of the variables family characteristics, frequency, and duration of sexual assault as well as the coping behavior of the victims is important for social workers both to understand and to take note of in intervention work with child sexual assault survivors who report their abuse. The implications of these findings were also discussed in the context of the provision of crisis intervention support for child victims of sexual abuse by social workers.