TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2006//
TI  - Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) experiences: an underestimated factor in perinatal care
JO  - Acta obstetricia et gynecologica Scandinavica
A1  - Leeners, B.
A1  - Neumaier-Wagner, P.
A1  - Quarg, A. F.
A1  - Rath, W.
SP  - 971
EP  - 976
VL  - 85
IS  - 8
N2  - BACKGROUND: Childhood sexual abuse can have several negative consequences on pregnancy, birth, and the early neonatal period. However, most obstetricians are not aware if their patients have a history of childhood sexual abuse. We therefore investigated childhood sexual abuse experiences in 226 women three to eight months after delivery of a healthy child. METHODS: 415 women were approached to answer a self-administered questionnaire including obstetrical questions and questions focusing on abuse experiences. 320 women agreed to participate, 226 (69.1% of the women fulfilling inclusion criteria) of which returned a completed questionnaire. Sexual abuse was explored using a modified version of a questionnaire developed by Wyatt. The complete questionnaire was designed in cooperation with the German "Frauennotruf", a society providing care for victims of sexual abuse. RESULTS: The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse was a minimum of 11.5% and a maximum of 14.6% if women who were not sure about such experiences during their childhood were included. Another 1.3% of the women had experienced sexual abuse as an adult. Lifetime sexual abuse prevalence was 12.8% and 15.9%, respectively. Of the women with an experience of childhood sexual abuse, 42.3% mentioned an ongoing abuse situation for at least six months. CONCLUSIONS: As approximately every 9th woman presenting for obstetrical care has experienced childhood sexual abuse, and as those experiences may have a negative impact on fetal and maternal well-being, adequate counseling models should be offered to victims of sexual abuse.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0001-6349
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00016340600626917
ID  - ref1
ER  -