Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Jun;26(8):825-837.
doi: 10.1177/1077801219845532. Epub 2019 May 3.

Maladaptive Daydreaming Is Associated With Intensified Psychosocial Problems Experienced by Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Affiliations

Maladaptive Daydreaming Is Associated With Intensified Psychosocial Problems Experienced by Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Hisham M Abu-Rayya et al. Violence Against Women. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

We measured maladaptive daydreaming (MD) and psychosocial indices among 194 participants, aged 18-56 years: 99 female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and 95 control respondents with no reported history of sexual abuse. Our data show that survivors of CSA scored higher on MD compared to controls. Survivors of CSA with probable MD scored higher on psychological distress, social phobia, and social isolation compared to survivors of CSA without suspected MD, implying that MD might exacerbate the psychosocial problems linked with CSA. MD psychological screening of female survivors of CSA and the development of a treatment module for MD could improve the quality of clinical services provided to survivors.

Keywords: child sexual abuse; maladaptive daydreaming; psychosocial problems; trauma survivors.

PubMed Disclaimer

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources