Sexual Offender, Sexual Abuse Victim, and Generalist Population Therapists' Perceptions of ...

219 Pages·2008·0.63 MB·English

Sexual Offender, Sexual Abuse Victim, and Generalist Population Therapists’
Perceptions of Permissive Parent-Child Sexual Boundaries and Altered Perceptions of
Self, Others, and Adaptation to the World as a Result of Vicarious Trauma

A dissertation presented to
the faculty of
the College of Education of Ohio University

In partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree
Doctor of Philosophy

Jodi Denell Jones
June 2008
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This dissertation titled
Sexual Offender, Sexual Abuse Victim, and Generalist Population Therapists’
Perceptions of Permissive Parent-child Sexual Boundaries and Altered Perceptions of
Self, Others, and Adaptation to the World as a Result of Vicarious Trauma

by
JODI DENELL JONES

has been approved for
the Department of Counseling and Higher Education
and the College of Education by

Patricia M. Beamish
Professor of Counseling and Higher Education

Renée A. Middleton

Dean, College of Education
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Abstract

JONES, JODI DENELL, Ph.D., June 2008, Counselor Education
Sexual Offender, Sexual Abuse Victim, and Generalist Population Therapists’
Perceptions of Permissive Parent-child Sexual Boundaries and Altered Perceptions of
Self, Others, and Adaptation to the World as a Result of Vicarious Trauma (219 pp.)
Director of Dissertation: Patricia M. Beamish
The purpose of this study was to determine if therapist levels (therapists who treat
sexual offenders, sexual abuse victims, and general population clients) differ in terms of
therapists’ overall perceptions of permissive parent-child sexual boundaries and
therapists’ altered perceptions of self, others, and adaptation to the world as a result of
vicarious trauma. Participants in this study consisted of graduate level therapists holding
membership in one of three professional organizations: (a) Association for Treatment of
Sexual Abusers (ATSA), (b) American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
(APSAC), (c) American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA). Data were
collected using four instruments: (a) Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale (TABS;
Pearlman, 2003), (b) Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale (STSS; Bride, 1999), and (c)
Permissiveness of Parent- Child Sexual Boundary Scale (PPCSBS), and (d) demographic
questionnaire. The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the
data.
Significant differences in the levels of therapists were found based upon professional
organization membership. However, examination of the effect size (.05) found the
differences between the therapist levels to be quite small and unimpressive. ATSA
members reported significant differences in increased disrupted cognitive schemas (as
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measured by TABS) compared to APSAC members and AMHCA members. ATSA
members scored significantly higher on the TABS subscales for Other-Safety, Other-
Trust, and Other-Esteem. AMHCA members reported significant differences in
permissive parent-child sexual boundaries behaviors (as measured by PPCSBS)
compared to APSAC and ATSA members. AMHCA members reported sexual boundary
behaviors to be appropriate for only younger age children, while the APSAC and ATSA
members reported sexual boundary behaviors to be appropriate for both younger age and
slightly older age children.
No significant differences in the levels of therapists were found based upon the
number of hours per week treating sexual offender and sexual abuse victim clients
together. However, supplemental analyses found increased TABS subscale scores of
Other-Safety, Other-Trust, and Other-Esteem for therapists treating sexual offender
clients 20 or more hours per week. No significant differences in the levels of therapists
were found based upon the number of years of clinical experience.
Lastly, examination of the PPCSBS instrument found the scale to be unrelated to the
TABS and STSS. The TABS and STSS were found to be highly correlated instruments of
vicarious trauma. Thus it appears that therapists’ perceptions of permissive parent-child
sexual boundaries are unrelated to symptoms of vicarious trauma.

Approved: _____________________________________________________________
Patricia M. Beamish
Professor of Counseling and Higher Education
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I dedicate this work to the memory of my grandparents, Mary Geneva Robinson
and Walter Earl Jones. Both have been an inspiration in my life.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to express my appreciation to several individuals for their invaluable
contribution toward the completion of this work. First, my deepest gratitude goes to my
advisor and mentor Dr. Patricia Beamish. You have supported, challenged, and
encouraged me to strive for excellence. For this I am thankful.
I would also like to express gratitude to members on my committee. Dr. George
Johanson, thank you for your kindness, patience, and accommodating nature in providing
assistance with research statistics. Dr. Gregory Janson, I am grateful to you for your
interest and analytical insight into trauma. Finally, Dr. Tracy Leinbaugh, thank you for
sharing your knowledge of children and your attention to detail.
Three individuals were significant in their contributions to this work. The late
Edward Nugent provided me with the opportunity to assist in Ohio University’s Sexual
Offender Treatment Specialist Program. He introduced me to the concept of vicarious
trauma and willingly offered his assistance. In addition, Jason Harman and my cousin,
Dr. James Jones, helped me to understand research methodology.
Also significant to this study are the many therapists who volunteered their time
to participate. This research would not have been possible without their help and the
cooperation of the following professional membership organizations: Association for the
Treatment of Sexual Abusers, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children,
and American Mental Health Counselors Association.
Thank you to my co-workers at Tri-County Mental Health & Counseling Services
for reviewing my pilot study and for all the ways your friendship provided support. In
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particular, thank you to Tim Brady, McArthur agency director, for words of
encouragement and granting requests for time off to meet with my advisor.
To my colleagues, Dr. Donna Menigat and Mary Jane Preece, thank you for your
treasured friendship and insight into the dissertation process. Also, thank you to my
brother-in-law and sister, Dr. Thomas and Kathy Massey, for offering your proof reading
skills.
A special thank you goes to my parents, Alan and Linda Jones, for their love and
countless sacrifices while I was growing up. Thank you for instilling within me a faith in
God and compassion for others. I am proud to be your daughter.
Lastly, to my husband, Wendell Hull, thank you for being a source of constant
love and encouragement throughout my doctoral studies. Your confidence in me helped
to develop my inner strength to face challenges. I couldn’t have done this without you.
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Table of Contents

Abstract .............................................................................................................................. 3
Dedication .......................................................................................................................... 4
Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. 6
List of Tables ................................................................................................................... 14
List of Figures .................................................................................................................. 16
Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................... 17
Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................. 31
Significance of the Study ................................................................................................. 32
Research Question .............................................................................................. 34
Independent Variable ........................................................................................... 35
Dependent Variables ............................................................................................ 35
Delimitations and Limitations of the Study ......................................................... 36
Definition of Terms.............................................................................................. 37
Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 38
Chapter Two: Review of Literature ................................................................................. 41
Permissiveness of Parent-Child Sexual Boundaries ............................................ 43
Childhood Exposure to Parental Nudity .................................................. 45
Childhood Exposure to Scenes of Parental Sexuality .............................. 46
Childhood Exposure to Parent-child Co-Sleeping ................................... 47
Other Parent-child Boundary Behaviors .................................................. 48
Instruments to Measure Permissiveness of Parent-child Sexual ............. 49
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Atteberry-Bennett Scale ............................................................... 49
The Perceptions of Incestuous Sexual Abuse Scale .................... 51
Study Questionnaire- Versions 1 & 2 .......................................... 52
Family Practices Questionnaire- Versions 5 & 6 ......................... 54
Summary of Parent-child Sexual Boundary Instruments ............. 57
Permissiveness of Parent-Child Sexual Boundaries Scale........... 58
Vicarious Trauma ................................................................................................. 60
Cognitive Schemas................................................................................... 62
Psychological Needs and Related Cognitive Schemas ................ 64
Summary of Cognitive Schemas .................................................. 65
Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale .......................................... 65
Secondary Traumatic Stress Symptoms ................................................... 71
Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder and Compassion .............. 71
Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale ............................................... 72
Levels of Therapists ............................................................................................. 75
Sexual Offender Therapist ....................................................................... 76
Sexual Abuse Victim Therapist ............................................................... 81
Generalist Population Therapist ............................................................... 87
Summary on the Levels of Therapists ..................................................... 89
Summary and Conclusions .................................................................................. 90
Chapter Three: Methodology ........................................................................................... 92
Identification of Population ................................................................................. 92
Sampling Plan ...................................................................................................... 92
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Instrumentation .................................................................................................... 94
Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale ...................................................... 94
Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale ........................................................... 98
Permissiveness of Parent-Child Sexual Boundaries Scale..................... 101
Demographic Questionnaire .................................................................. 103
Pilot Study Results ................................................................................. 103
Research Question ............................................................................................. 107
Null Hypotheses ................................................................................................. 107
Research Hypotheses ......................................................................................... 108
Data Collection Procedures ................................................................................ 109
Data Analysis Procedures .................................................................................. 112
Assumptions of MANOVA ............................................................................... 112
Chapter Four: Results .................................................................................................... 114
Description of Participants ..................................................................... 115
Demographics ........................................................................................ 116
Organization Membership ......................................................... 116
Highest Level of Education ....................................................... 117
Professional Affiliation .............................................................. 117
Gender ........................................................................................ 119
Age ............................................................................................. 119
Race............................................................................................ 120
Professional Area of Client Specialization ................................ 121
Personal Trauma History ........................................................... 122