Intrafamilial child sexual abuse: predictors of postdisclosure maternal belief and protective action

The two purposes of this study were to determine the percentage of nonoffending, biological mothers who were concordant for belief and protection of their sexually abused children and to examine maternal, child, and situational characteristics that predict such concordance. Data were collected on a sample of 435 mothers. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were utilized to identify the proportion and the predictors of maternal belief and protective action. Findings indicated that mothers were more likely to believe and protect when they postponed the birth of their first child until reaching adulthood, when they were not a current sexual partner of the offender, when they did not have knowledge of the sexual abuse prior to the child's disclosure, and when the victim did not exhibit sexualized behavior. These findings have the potential to enhance the efficacy of child welfare interventions by underscoring the importance of maternal belief and protection. Further empirical study is recommended to investigate predictors of ambivalent maternal responses to her child's sexual victimization.