Date of Award

6-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology

First Advisor

Eric Sauer, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Jennifer Foster, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Bridget Weller, Ph.D.

Keywords

Attachment, child sexual abuse, help-seeking, revictimization

Abstract

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is an adverse childhood experience and a global health issue. Approximately one in four girls encounter CSA per year. Research evidence suggests approximately 50% of CSA survivors encounter sexual revictimization during adulthood (Walker & Wamser-Nanney, 2023), but formal help and intervention can mitigate further psychosocial harm experienced by CSA survivors (Widom et al., 2008). Attachment theory has provided a theoretical framework for identifying individuals at risk for revictimization and help-seeking patterns, such that individuals who have insecure attachment styles report more revictimization frequency, but the literature is mixed about attachment styles and help-seeking (Brenner et al., 2021; Brenner & Ben-Amitay, 2015; Cheng et al., 2013; Wadman et al., 2019). However, growing evidence suggests that life events can cause attachment dimensions to fluctuate (Fraley et al., 2021), and emerging adulthood is itself a period marked by constant change and transition (Arnett, 2000). For this reason, this body of work provides a critique of the widely used trait measure of attachment called the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR) and introduces the addition of the State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM) to fully capture the mental representations of emerging adult women with CSA histories in the prediction of formal help-seeking intent. An investigation into formal help-seeking intentions from an attachment perspective highlight a developmental perspective of perceived control for emerging adult women with CSA histories. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to predict formal help-seeking intentions using state and trait attachment measures among emerging adult women with CSA histories.

Participants (N = 138) were self-identified women between ages 18 and 29 (Mage = 25.3) who experienced CSA. Since age 18, 74% of participants reported at least one sexual revictimization encounter and 70% of participants reported at least one previous formal mental health intervention. A series of Pearson correlations identified significant associations between higher state anxiety and higher sexual revictimization frequency; higher state anxiety and higher formal help-seeking intentions; and higher trait anxiety and higher sexual revictimization frequency. Higher trait anxiety was not associated with higher intentions to seek formal help. Results from a multiple linear regression indicated that patterns of compulsive self-reliance, that is, trait attachment avoidance, was the only salient contributor to lower formal help-seeking intentions for problems related to sexual abuse.

The insignificant association between trait anxiety and formal help-seeking intentions suggest that intentions to seek formal help may not be stable, proactive plans but rather reactive and momentary. When all insecure attachment variables, sexual revictimization frequency, and previous mental health intervention were considered, enduring traits of avoidance were the only significant contributor to lower intentions to seek formal help for problems related to sexual abuse. Together, these data highlight this sample of emerging adult women with CSA histories do not have stable, proactive plans to seek formal help.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Open Access

Download

Share

COinS