Child sexual abuse and family outcomes

Rinke De Jong,Catrien Bijleveld

doi:10.1186/s40163-015-0046-1

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the association between different characteristics of sexual abuse and adverse family outcomes in later life. Through archived court files, a large sample of Dutch men and women who have been sexually abused as a child could be identified. Outcome variables were assessed 33 years after the abuse, when the victims were 44 years of age on average. Being abused by a nuclear family member was associated with teen pregnancies, young marriage, and divorce. Younger ages at time of abuse were related to decreased marriage rates. Penetration, violence, and repeated victimization were not related to adverse outcomes. We found that these effects were not the same for males and females. Furthermore, compared to the average Dutch population, CSA victims experienced more divorce, and female CSA victims were more often childless, had more children, and more often were teenage parents.

Highlights

Child sexual abuse (CSA) can be a traumatizing event
We found that female victims of CSA compared unfavorably to average Dutch women of their birth cohort; they had an elevated risk of teenage pregnancies and divorce
We further found being abused by a nuclear family member to be related to early marriage and divorce, and being abused at younger ages to be related to a lower likelihood to marry

Summary

Introduction

Child sexual abuse (CSA) can be a traumatizing event. CSA victims have worse physical health (e.g., Irish et al 2010), have more sexual problems (e.g., Senn et al 2008; Neumann et al 1996), suffer more often from depression or posttraumatic stress disorder (Paolucci et al 2001; Neumann et al 1996; Jumper 1995; Chen et al 2010), and have lower self-esteem (Jumper 1995) than those not sexually abused as a child. Rind et al (1998) found that while CSA victims were psychologically less adjusted than controls, this effect was largely explained by family factors, such as neglect, family structure, or traditionalism. Studies that are able to ‘isolate’ the effect of child sexual abuse in a methodological sense are for obvious reasons very hard to conduct, as perpetrators may be expected to select victims in a non-random fashion from the population

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Discussion

Conclusion