Caregiver responses and behaviors often play a significant role in a child’s recovery following child sexual abuse (CSA). Caregiver expectations of their child’s postabuse functioning has been associated with child symptoms, such that negative expectations lead to worse outcomes for the child. Additionally, caregivers who experienced maltreatment in their own childhood may face difficulties providing support to their child after CSA. Caregivers’ own psychological symptoms may influence their expectations for their child’s future functioning following CSA. This study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the association between caregivers’ childhood maltreatment histories, their expectations for their child’s future functioning following CSA, and the indirect effect of caregiver depressive symptoms on this relationship. Participants were 354 nonoffending caregivers presenting to treatment with their child following CSA disclosure. Caregivers were 23-72 years old (M = 38.38, SD = 8.02), predominately white, and predominately biological mothers to the youth who were abused. Results indicated that caregivers who experienced maltreatment in childhood were more likely to experience depressive symptoms, which then lead to more negative expectations of their child’s future functioning. As negative expectations are associated with poorer outcomes for children following CSA, increased attention to caregivers’ depressive symptoms in treatment may promote more positive expectations for their child’s postabuse functioning.

照顾者的反应和行为通常在儿童性虐待 (CSA) 后儿童的康复中发挥重要作用。看护人对其孩子虐待后功能的期望与儿童症状有关，因此负面期望会导致孩子的结果更糟。此外，在童年时期遭受虐待的看护人可能会在 CSA 后难以为孩子提供支持。照顾者自身的心理症状可能会影响他们对 CSA 后孩子未来功能的期望。本研究利用结构方程模型 (SEM) 来检查照顾者的童年虐待历史、他们对 CSA 后孩子未来功能的期望以及照顾者抑郁症状对这种关系的间接影响之间的关联。参与者是 354 名在 CSA 披露后与他们的孩子一起接受治疗的非违规护理人员。看护人年龄在 23-72 岁（M = 38.38，SD = 8.02），主要是白人，主要是受虐待青年的亲生母亲。结果表明，在童年时期遭受过虐待的看护者更有可能出现抑郁症状，从而导致对孩子未来功能的负面期望更高。由于负面期望与 CSA 后儿童的较差结果相关，因此在治疗中增加对照顾者抑郁症状的关注可能会促进对其孩子虐待后功能的更积极期望。