Language Use and PTSD Symptoms: Content Analyses of Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse

The objective of this article is to understand how traumatized children
report traumatic narratives. This study aims to explore the
mediating effects of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms
on the relationship between child age and narrative characteristics
in the allegations of child sexual abuse. Some characteristics
of traumatic narratives were analyzed in a group of 58 victims
of sexual abuse (M = 10; SD = 3.5 years), including 29 children
(50%) with all the symptoms of PTSD. Results were consistent
with a model of PTSD symptoms as a mediator of the relationship
between age and sensory impressions, emotional nodes, and
cognitive distancing.