Citation

Nelson DE, Higginson GK, Grant-Worley JA. J. Sch. Health 1994; 64(10): 413-416.

Affiliation

National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, American School Health Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7707717

Abstract

To estimate the extent of childhood sexual abuse, questions were added to the 1993 Oregon Youth Risk Behavior Survey of students in grades 9-12. Twenty-five high schools throughout Oregon participated in the survey. Among the 2,332 students who answered sexual abuse questions, 20.9% had ever been sexually abused; females (33.1%) were much more likely to have ever been abused than were males (8.1%). Females (10.3%) also were more likely than males (3.4%) to have been sexually abused within the past year. High school students sexually abused in the past year engaged in many high risk health behaviors such as weapon carrying, substance abuse, seriously considering suicide in the past year, and sexual activity when compared with students who had never been sexually abused. Further educational efforts with teachers, health care providers, parents, and child care providers, as well as development and use of school curricula, are needed to reduce sexual abuse.

Language: en