Investigation of Alexithymia Levels and Childhood Trauma in Mothers of Sexually Abused Children

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, Early View

Published Online: 03 July 2026, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.07

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

Investigation of Alexithymia Levels and Childhood Trauma in Mothers of Sexually Abused Children

Cinsel İstismar Mağduru Çocukların Annelerinin Aleksitimi Düzeyleri ve Çocukluk Çağı Travmalarının İncelenmesi

Hatice Oksal¹ , Ömer Büber² , Enes Sarıgedik³ , Mustafa Tolga Tunagür⁴

Abstract:

The aim of this study is to compare the levels of alexithymia and childhood trauma experiences of mothers of sexually abused children with those of mothers in the control group, and to examine the relationships between alexithymia and trauma experiences. The research was conducted with a case-control design. The case group consisted of 41 mothers of sexually abused children. The control group consisted of 41 mothers whose children had no history of sexual abuse. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). In the case group, sexual abuse and emotional neglect scores were significantly higher compared to the control group (p=0.041; p=0.004, respectively), while minimization scores were significantly lower. No significant differences were observed between the groups on the TAS subscales and total scores. In the case group, negative correlations were observed between age and Difficulty Identifying Feelings (DIF), Difficulty Describing Feelings (DDF), and the TAS total score; positive correlations were observed between emotional neglect and DIF, DDF, EOT (Externally Oriented Thinking), and the TAS total score. The findings indicated that past traumatic experiences had marked effects on the mothers of sexually abused children and that these experiences were associated with alexithymia. The results highlight the importance of supporting the mental health of mothers for both parental well-being and the psychosocial development of the child.

Keywords: Alexithymia, Mother, Child sexual abuse, Child abuse.

¹Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Child Advocacy Center, Sakarya, Türkiye.

²Sakarya University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Social Work, Sakarya, Türkiye; Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Child Advocacy Center, Sakarya, Türkiye.

³Sakarya University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sakarya, Türkiye.
⁴Sakarya University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Sakarya, Türkiye; Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Child Advocacy Center, Sakarya, Türkiye.

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Hatice Oksal, Sakarya Training and Research Hospital, Child Advocacy Center, Sakarya, Türkiye, 54290. E-mail: [email protected].

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 02.10.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 02.04.2026, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 04.04.2026, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 03.07.2026

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Oksal, H., Büber, Ö., Sarıgedik, E. & Tunagür, M.T. (2026). Investigation of alexithymia levels and childhood trauma in mothers of sexually abused children, Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 1-7, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.07.

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/