Interpersonal and family functioning of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Abstract

The empirical literature that addresses the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and the interpersonal functioning of female survivors within their adult family context is critically examined. Specifically, research on relationship difficulties, problems in attachment, marital conflict and divorce, secondary traumatization, sexual dysfunction, maternal attitudes and functioning, and the heightened risk for having children who themselves are sexually abused is reviewed. There is converging evidence in both clinical and community samples that, compared to other women, female CSA survivors do experience more relationship problems and more problems in sexual functioning. Based on community samples, there is an indication that CSA survivors experience problems in marital functioning and attachment. Beyond this, little sound research has addressed the issues of secondary traumatization, maternal attitudes, maternal functioning, or intergenerational patterns of abuse. The use of specificity designs, improved sampling strategies, and standardized, psychometrically strong measures in future research would greatly improve the quality of our knowledge on the interpersonal and family functioning of CSA survivors.