Child sexual abuse as a predictor of psychiatric co-morbidity and its implications for drug and alcohol treatment

Abstract

A study of 180 women in and outside drug and alcohol treatment showed that CSA survivors had higher overall levels of psychological distress, compared with drug and alcohol treatment clients who had not experienced CSA. They reported elevated levels of anxiety, somatisation and dissociation but not depression. Higher rates of self-harm, eating disorders and sexual dysfunction were also reported by CSA survivors. Women with a history of both CSA and substance abuse were more likely to have attempted suicide than other women. The results highlight the need for improved liaison between substance abuse treatment programs and other health services.