Citation

Fleming J, Mullen PE, Sibthorpe B, Bammer G. Child Abuse Negl. 1999; 23(2): 145-159.

Affiliation

National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10075184

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and a range of adverse adult outcomes in a community sample of women using multivariate analysis which accounted for a number of potential confounding effects. METHOD: Retrospective study of cross-sectional data on the long-term impact of CSA, collected as part of a larger two-stage case-control study of the possible relationship between CSA and alcohol abuse. Data were appropriately weighted to adjust for the different selection probabilities of cases and controls. RESULTS: Significant associations were found between reporting CSA and experiencing domestic violence, rape, sexual problems, mental health problems, low self-esteem, and problems with intimate relationships even after taking into account a range of family background factors. Women who had experienced abuse involving intercourse were the most vulnerable to these negative outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the influence of CSA on adverse long-term effects is mediated and influenced both by the severity of the abuse experiences and by a range of family and social background factors.

Language: en