A study of the academic performance of sexually abused children

• Main Author: Bonanno, Rina A.
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/1581

Studies of the impact of abuse on children's cognitive and school performance have focused largely on maltreated and neglected children. In this study the academic performance of 15 sexually abused children was compared to the academic performance of 15 non-abused children that were matched on gender and grade. The permanent record cards of all the children involved were analyzed using descriptive statistics. T-test revealed that the sexually abused children performed significantly poorer than the non-abused children. Results indicating that the sexually abused group did not appear to differ academically prior to the abuse suggest that the differences between the two groups may be, in part, due to the sexual abuse. Variables surrounding the sexual abuse did not appear to affect academic performance, nor did gender play a significant role in academic performance.