Abstract
BackgroundSome individuals who have been sexually assaulted as adolescents or adults have also been abused in childhood, although it is not clear how different forms of childhood maltreatment are related to adolescent/adult sexual assault, and how earlier abuse alters the relationship between sexual assault and current symptomatology. ObjectiveWe sought to determine which types of child maltreatment are associated with adolescent or adult sexual assault, whether such child maltreatment interacts with sexual assault to predict more severe symptoms, and if sexual assault has unique symptom correlates after controlling for prior child maltreatment. Participants and SettingParticipants were 398 women recruited online. ResultsA total of 36 % of women had experienced unwanted sexual contact at age 13 or younger (childhood sexual abuse [CSA]), 32 % had experienced unwanted sexual contact at age 14 or later (adolescent/adult sexual assault), and 24.4 % had experienced both. Of all forms of child maltreatment, only CSA was associated with sexual assault, doubling the risk relative to those without a history of CSA. CSA and sexual assault were each uniquely associated with current symptomatology, however there was no interaction between sexual assault and CSA on psychological symptoms. ConclusionsCSA is associated with a greater risk of later sexual assault, and both CSA and sexual assault have additive effects on adult symptomatology. However, prior sexual abuse does not appear to exacerbate the effects of sexual assault, and sexual assault is associated with lasting psychological sequelae even when controlling for sexual abuse.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.