Adult-child interaction emotional image set: Subject ratings of childhood sexual abuse survivors.

BACKGROUND

Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) has long-term consequences, including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impairments. However, CSA often goes undetected due to challenges in disclosure and limitations in identification methods.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to validate an image set capable of distinguishing individuals with CSA histories.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

A total of 346 adults participated and were recruited via the Utah State University SONA system, Northern Utah treatment clinics, and online forums.

METHODS

Participants viewed randomized orders of 120 visual stimuli consisting of critical and neutral images and rated their emotional valence. Critical Images were based on criteria associated with grooming and designed to evoke emotional responses for CSA survivors. Neutral images excluded key features associated with grooming scenarios and depicted everyday scenes expected to elicit minimal emotional response. CSA severity was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Pearson's correlations, linear regression, ANOVA, and path analysis were used to examine relationships between CSA severity and image ratings.

RESULTS

Sixty-nine critical images were retained for their large and significant correlations with CSA severity. An ANOVA showed a significant group-by-image type interaction. Regression analysis confirmed CSA severity as a predictor of critical image ratings. Negative mood and cognition symptoms, and intrusion symptoms, mediated this relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that CSA survivors exhibit heightened sensitivity to social stimuli associated with trust and vulnerability. This validated image set establishes a behavioral framework that may be leveraged in future neuroimaging studies examining neural correlates of CSA.