Depression and suicidal ideation in sexually abused children

Sixty-five sexually abused children were administered the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) following investigation of their abuse to determine the relationship of victims' depression and suicidal ideation with victims' age, post-investigation residence, nature of the abuse, and mothers' belief of victim and compliance with treatment recommendations. Results indicated that older victims were more likely to describe themselves as being depressed. In addition, older victims and those whose mothers were less compliant were more likely to have CDI scores that were above the 90th percentile reported by Smucker, Craighead, Craighead, and Green (1986). Suicidal ideation was more likely in victims who were older, whose mothers were less compliant, who were not removed from their homes, and who had been molested by a family member.