Severity of emotional distress among sexually abused preschool, school-age, and adolescent children.

Many clinicians do not agree on whether or to what extent sexually abused children suffer emotional harm. An analysis of behavioral problems among 112 preschool, school-age, and adolescent children who had been sexually abused indicated that the preschool and adolescent samples showed relatively few signs of serious disturbance. The school-age group, however, showed a substantial incidence of psychological difficulties. The authors discuss the specific disturbances found among each group, the severity of the disturbances compared with those of normal children and children receiving psychiatric treatment for other reasons, and the implications of the findings for clinical interventions.