Is adaptive coping possible for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse?

Thirty adult women survivors of childhood sexual abuse who believed they were functioning well were selected through advertisements in local newspapers and presentations at an incest-survivor support group. Subjects were assessed by a battery of structured diagnostic interviews and standardized psychological measures, including the MMPI, the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale. The results showed the existence of a subgroup of survivors of childhood sexual abuse who do not have devastating long-term psychological effects. Better adult psychological functioning was predicted by certain characteristics of the abuse, the family system, and the survivors.