Ethnic Differences in Sexual Victimization and Revictimization Among Female U.S. Navy Recruits: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Abstract : Prospective survey methods were used to investigate the effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) and premilitary rape on the likelihood that female U.S. Navy recruits (N = 465) would experience rape during their first year of military service and to examine ethnic differences in sexual victimization and revictimization. Rape during the first year of military service was 2.5 times more likely among women with (versus without) a history of CSA, 3.5 times more likely among women with (versus without) a history of premilitary rape, and 6.0 times more likely among women with a history of both CSA and premilitary rape (versus neither). CSA predicted rape during the first year of military service for African American and Hispanic women, but not for White women. Although premilitary rape predicted rape during the first year of military service for all three ethnic groups, the revictimization effects were strongest for African American women. These results highlight the need for additional research examining ethnic differences in patterns of interpersonal violence.