Adolescent Sexual Abuse Research Articles

Sexual Abuse Among Adolescents (13 to 19 Years) of Boys and Girls in Three Private Schools in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Background: Sexual abuse in adolescents is a global public health issue with severe physical, psychological, and long-term effects. In Bangladesh, societal stigma, underreporting, and weak legal enforcement further exacerbate the issue. Objectives: The primary objective is to evaluate the prevalence and patterns of sexual abuse among adolescents in three Dhaka schools, with secondary objectives to assess their clinical, demographic, and mental health status. Method and Materials: This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the prevalence of sexual abuse among 130 adolescents (aged 13-19) from three private schools in Dhaka, selected through purposive sampling. Data will be collected using a pre-tested questionnaire administered by trained research assistants. The data will be analyzed using SPSS and STATA for both descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: The study included 130 adolescents, with boys making up 53.8% and girls 46.2%. The most prevalent form of sexual abuse was verbal abuse, reported by 46.2% of participants, followed by physical touch (30.8%) and online abuse (15.4%). Peers or schoolmates were the primary perpetrators in 38.5% of cases, while 19.2% reported abuse by strangers. Notably, 46.2% of the adolescents did not report the abuse to anyone. Of those who did, 30.8% informed school authorities, and 23.1% confided in their family. Conclusion: Children, particularly girls, are highly vulnerable to sexual abuse due to lack of parental awareness, weak reporting systems, and difficulty in disclosing abuse. Strengthening community vigilance and reporting mechanisms is essential to protect them.

Patterns of child and adolescent sexual abuse in the era of COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic which first broke out in Wuhan, China in December 2019 undoubtedly created a novel health challenge for countries around the world. The federal and some state governments in Nigeria in a bid to contain the spread of the virus and manage a looming health emergency pronounced lockdown measures at different times in 2020. The lockdown which affected the routine activities of citizens forced families and friends to stay indoors while it lasted. This was in compliance with the movement restriction order of the government which empowered law enforcement agencies to prosecute violators. While health authorities and other stakeholders made concerted efforts to control the coronavirus disease, some deviants and criminals exploited the situation to commit heinous crimes. The Nigerian media reported several cases of child and adolescent sexual abuse; including incest during the lockdown. This study used narrative review to examine the patterns of child and adolescent sexual abuse (CASA) during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria. It found that CASA is often hidden, and can occurred online. It also revealed that CASA is perpetrated often by males as well as close relatives and have mainly females as victims. Furthermore, it found that perpetrators used manipulation, coercion and threats to facilitate the abuse. The study recommends strategies that may assist in forestalling the sexual exploitation of minors and young people during lockdowns and how to assist victims who may suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among other pains.

Development and implementation of a worksite-based intervention to improve mothers' knowledge, attitudes, and skills in sharing information with their adolescent daughters on preventing sexual violence: lessons learned in a developing setting, Sri Lanka.

Sexual violence among adolescents has become a major public health concern in Sri Lanka. Lack of sexual awareness is a major reason for adverse sexual health outcomes among adolescents in Sri Lanka. This study was intended to explore the effectiveness of a worksite-based parent-targeted intervention to improve mothers' knowledge, and attitudes on preventing sexual violence among their adolescent female offspring and to improve mother-daughter communication of sexual violence prevention with the family. "My mother is my best friend" is an intervention designed based on previous research and behavioral theories, to help parents to improve their sexual communication skills with their adolescent daughters. A quasi-experimental study was conducted from August 2020 to March 2023 in randomly selected two Medical Officer of Health (MOH)areas in Kalutara district, Sri Lanka. Pre and post-assessments were conducted among a sample of 135 mothers of adolescent girls aged 14-19 years in both intervention and control areas. Out of the 135 mothers who participated in the baseline survey, 127 mothers (94.1%) from the intervention area (IA) physically participated in at least one session of the intervention. The worksite-based intervention was effective in improving mothers' knowledge about adolescent sexual abuse prevention (Difference in percentage difference of pre and post intervention scores in IA and CA = 4.3%, p = 0.004), mother's attitudes in communicating sexual abuse prevention with adolescent girls (Difference in percentage difference of pre and post intervention scores in IA and CA = 5.9%, p = 0.005), and the content of mother-daughter sexual communication (Difference in percentage difference of pre and post intervention scores in IA and CA = 27.1%, p < 0.001). Worksite-based parenting program was effective in improving mothers' knowledge about sexual abuse prevention among adolescent daughters and in improving the content of mother-daughter communication about sexual abuse prevention. Developing appropriate sexual health programs for mothers of different ethnicities, and cultures using different settings is important. Conduction of need assessment programs to identify the different needs of mothers is recommended.

Understanding Digital Violence and Sexual Abuse in Adolescents and Minors: A Literature Review

Understanding Digital Violence and Sexual Abuse in Adolescents and Minors: A Literature Review

Technology and sexual abuse - The role of technology in facilitating child and adolescent sexual abuse: A systematic review

Child and adolescent sexual abuse is a reality that affects countless children and adolescents, harming and violating the physical, emotional and psychological integrity of the victims. There are numerous factors that cause vulnerability in this public, one of them being the technological means, due to the influences that the media causes, the exposure of children and adolescents and the facilitation of communication between aggressors and victims. To analyze the relationship between the use of technologies and child and adolescent sexual abuse, exploring how these technological tools have been used to facilitate the sexual abuse of children and adolescents. This is a systematic review of the literature. The search for articles was carried out from the Virtual Health Library (VHL); Lilacs; Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO); National Library of Medicine (PubMed). The descriptors used to search for the articles were: Child and adolescent sexual abuse, technologies and pedophilia. The Boolean operator AND was used to cross-reference the terms. Regarding the inclusion criteria used: complete articles, available and indexed in the aforementioned databases, free of charge, in the Portuguese language, published in the last five years between 2019 and 2023 related to the theme. Monographs, book chapters, paid articles, duplicate studies, in another language, and published before 2019 were excluded as exclusion criteria. Modern technologies, such as the internet and social networks, are means that facilitate the increase in cases of child and adolescent sexual abuse.

Victims of drug facilitated sexual assault aged 13-24: a cross sectional study on the pool of users of a sexual violence relief centre in Northern Italy

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the association between drugs and alcohol intake and sexual abuse in adolescents, otherwise defined as Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA). We considered the survivors who accessed care at the Centre “Soccorso Violenza Sessuale” (SVS – Sexual Violence Relief Centre) in Turin (Italy), between May 2003 and May 2022. We found that 973 patients aged 13–24 among which 228 were victims of DFSA. Epidemiological and anamnestic aspects of the episode of sexual violence were examined, with a specific focus on investigating the alcohol and/or drug intake as reported by the victim, along with the results of the toxicological analysis. the study further accounts for the variations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on DFSA-related accesses. Our findings show that 23% of adolescents accessing care at SVS were subjected to DFSA. Six out ten adolescents knew their aggressor, at times a partner (10%) oran acquaintance (43%). In 12% of cases violence was perpetrated by a group of people (12%). Almost 90% of young victims described alcohol consumption, while 37% reported drug use at the time of the assault. Alcohol taken alone or in combination with other substances was the most detected drug in our sample throughout the period considered. Given the large use of psychoactive substances among adolescents, it is imperative to implement harm reduction strategies alongside educational activities aimed at fostering awareness about consent. Health personnel should be trained to manage the needs of victims of DFSA clinically and forensically.

María Victoria Menis’s María y El Araña

Middle-class children and adolescents have been represented in several Argentine films of the twenty-first century. In María y El Araña [ María and Spiderman ] (2013), María Victoria Menis tackles the representation of youth who are at risk due to both their working-class backgrounds and the absence or incapacity of any parental figures. Her film also engages with the difficult topics of adolescent sexualization, sexual abuse, and physical violence perpetrated against disadvantaged youth. While the cinematic depiction of destitution, also known as ‘poverty porn’, generally deploys realism, I argue that Menis avoids the dangers of the paedophilic gaze in María y El Araña , by briefly providing the point of view of the young female protagonist, as well as a glimpse into one of her dreams. The director also relies on fairy tales to narrate this story about the dangers of adult violence against vulnerable adolescents to educate viewers about these abuses and their threat to civilized society. Because fairy tales offer access to imaginative worlds, despite the film’s themes, María y El Araña has an unusual ending for a Latin American film featuring at-risk young protagonists.

Adolescents and sexual assault: A critical integrative review.

Adolescents are sexually assaulted at remarkably high rates. Adolescents are also unique given the specific dynamics of adolescent sexual assault, their current stage in human development, their limited legal standing and rights, and their experiences navigating postassault services and resources. While literature exists within each of these domains, it is somewhat disconnected and overlooks how adolescents are often relegated to the margins in research and practice. The purpose of this integrative review is to (1) provide a more complete understanding of adolescent sexual assault and survivors'nuanced needs; (2) frame adolescent survivors as a too-often-overlooked oppressed group that researchers and responders must consider and center in their work, lest contribute to their further marginalization; and (3) inspire and orient social justice-minded scholar activists to various action steps to take to center and prioritize adolescents in research and practice. Through our intersectional feminist approach, we offer specific action steps for social justice-minded scholar activists to recenter adolescents in their research and practice.

When the Perpetrator is Found Not Guilty: Implications for the Treatment of Adolescent Sexual Assault Survivors

Sexual assault survivors can experience a wide variety of psychological consequences—from none to Major Depression Disorder to Substance use and, most commonly, Acute Stress Disorder/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These clinical outcomes depend on the severity of the assault, as well as pre-assault psychological status, and post-assault social support, the effectiveness of therapy, and events that occur during therapy. This case study will focus on one particular event that can arise during the treatment of a survivor of sexual assault, namely the impact of a not guilty verdict on the survivor occurring during the course of therapy. The client in question experienced an immediate and significant increase in depressive symptoms and the course of therapy needed to be altered significantly to respond to the not guilty verdict rendered during the therapy process. This case study will explore how therapy was altered in response to this guilty verdict and the lessons that were learned from this experience in order to better prepare assault survivors who are involved in legal proceedings during their therapy. Overall, this case study demonstrated the vital need to prepare survivors who plan to testify in court against the perpetrator beforehand for all possible outcomes of the trial. Furthermore, the case study demonstrated the need to implement effective interventions in the aftermath of a trial to help buffer against the effects of a “not guilty” verdict.

A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Treatments for Adolescent and Adult Sexual Assault Victims.

Sexual assault (SA) is a serious crime that is a prevalent mental and public health problem. Addressing the needs of SA victims and providing appropriate treatment are essential to reduce potential adverse short- and long-term outcomes. Our team undertook an extensive systematic literature review (published between January 2006 and July 2021) to provide evidence-based mental health intervention recommendations for adolescent and adult victims of SA. Where SA-specific research was limited, the literature and clinical practice guidelines on treatments for trauma-induced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were reviewed to provide additional information to formulate recommendations. Findings strongly support several primary psychotherapy treatments: cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, narrative exposure therapy, and prolonged exposure therapy. Complementary (aerobic exercise, art, drama, and music therapy) and pharmacological treatments were explored. Mental health nurses who provide services for victims of SA can utilize this overview to guide recommendations for treatment of SA trauma and related PTSD symptoms to mitigate the short- and long-term negative impacts after a traumatic event. When victims of SA receive optimal mental health treatments, our communities benefit as victims heal and recover.

Female adolescent sexual assault; a national review of 1014 consecutive cases

BackgroundSexual violence is common in contemporary society and disproportionally affects adolescents. In order to develop effective treatment, awareness and prevention strategies it is vital that we understand the epidemiology of adolescent sexual assault (SA). The aim of this study is to evaluate attendances by female adolescents to the national sexual assault treatment unit (SATU) network in the Republic of Ireland and compare these attendances with adult women accessing the service. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study analysing the attendances of all adolescent female attendances at the 6 SATUs in the Republic of Ireland and comparing them with all adult female attendances between 1/1/2017 and 31/12/2022. ResultsThere were 1014 female adolescent attendances and 3951 female adult attendances over the timeframe studied. Adult attenders were more likely to attend within 7-days of the alleged assault compared with adolescent attenders (80.3% V 70.2% OR1.513 CI 1.35-1.697 p < 0.001). When compared with adult attenders, adolescent attenders were significantly more likely to disclose being assaulted outdoors (40.9% V 15.7% OR2.607 CI 2.346-2.898 p < 0.01), during the day (58.4% V 34.4% OR1.673 CI 1.565-1.790 p < 0.01), assaulted by a friend/family member (28.9% V 16% OR 1.812 CI1.603-2.049 p < 0.01) and less likely to have consumed alcohol prior to the incident (45.6% V 25.3% OR1.807 CI 1.653-1.975 p < 0.001). Physical injuries were less likely in adolescent attenders (30% V 35.5% OR0.845 CI 0.758-0.942 p = 0.02). ConclusionA comparison of the characteristics of adolescent and adult female sexual assault disclosures identifies differences regarding location of the incident, relationship to perpetrator and prevalence of alcohol consumption. Knowledge of these factors support appropriate tailoring of treatment, prevention and awareness strategies to help modify the impact and reduce the incidence of SA in the vulnerable adolescent cohort.

Narratives of personal and professional experiences of psychotherapists working with cases of child and adolescent sexual abuse: A qualitative longitudinal study

AbstractBackgroundStudies delving into the personal and professional experiences of psychotherapists working with children and adolescents who have been sexually abused are scarce and mostly cross‐sectional.AimThe present qualitative longitudinal study aimed to describe the narratives that therapists construct about their personal and professional experiences of working with children and/or adolescents who have been victims of sexual aggression during different moments of the psychotherapeutic process.MethodEight psychologists were interviewed and asked about the psychotherapy of 12 cases they were developing. These cases were of children and adolescents who had been sexually abused. Each participant was interviewed at different moments of the cases' psychotherapy (6 months into the process, 12 months into the process and once more at the end of therapy for those who received therapy for longer than 12 months). A total of 34 interviews were conducted and studied through narrative analysis.ResultsThree major themes involving the personal and professional experiences of psychotherapists emerged: regarding the patient and their family; regarding the institutional context; and regarding the personal/professional experience. Also, identified and analysed convergences and divergences that appear within these themes at different points in the participants' interviews are highlighted.DiscussionThe findings suggest that therapists manage to navigate the most complex and distressing aspects of each intervention case in the earlier moments of the psychotherapeutic process and later are likely to have an emotional connection with pleasant or satisfactory elements in their work and are likely to end treatment with an appreciation for the learning experiences they have had working with challenging cases and a sense of amazement at the resources and resilience of the children and adolescents they work with.

“Underwear Rule” in Improving Sexual Abuse Prevention Attitudes among Parents of Intellectual Disabilities Adolescent

Sexual abuse remains a prevalent issue among disabled individuals, particularly adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Parental lack of knowledge and negative attitudes towards sexual abuse contribute to its occurrence. This study aims to investigate the impact of “Underwear Rule” training on the attitudes of parents of adolescents with intellectual disabilities towards sexual abuse prevention. Employing a pre-experimental method with a one-group pretest-posttest design, the research involved 72 parents. The Wilcoxon test was utilized for analysis. The findings reveal a positive influence of “Underwear Rule” training on parents’ attitudes, enhancing their motivation to prevent sexual abuse in adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Collaboration among healthcare workers, educators, and parents is recommended to implement and integrate “Underwear Rule” training into daily activities, effectively preventing sexual abuse in this vulnerable population.

Assessing the cost-effectiveness of economic strengthening and parenting support for preventing violence against adolescents in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa: An economic modelling study using non-randomised data.

There is limited evidence around the cost-effectiveness of interventions to reduce violence against children in low- and middle-income countries. We used a decision-analytic model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of three intervention scenarios for reducing adolescent emotional, physical, and sexual abuse in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The intervention scenarios were: 1) Community grant outreach to link households to South Africa's Child Support Grant (CSG) if they are eligible, but not receiving it; 2) Group-based parenting support; and 3) Group-based parenting support 'plus' linkage to the CSG. We estimated average cost-effectiveness ratios (ACERs) for intervention scenarios over a ten-year time horizon, and compared them to a South Africa-specific willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold (USD3390). Health effects were expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted. Our model considered four combinations of routine service versus trial-based costing, and population-average versus high prevalence of violence. Under routine service costing, ACERs for grant outreach and parenting support were below the WTP threshold when considering a population-average prevalence of violence USD2850 (Lower: USD1840-Upper: USD10,500) and USD2620 (USD1520-USD9800) per DALY averted, respectively; and a high prevalence of violence USD1320 (USD908-USD5180) and USD1340 (USD758-USD4910) per DALY averted, respectively. The incremental cost-effectiveness of parenting support plus grant linkage relative to parenting support alone was USD462 (USD346-USD1610) and USD225 (USD150-USD811) per DALY averted at a population-average and high prevalence of violence, respectively. Under trial-based costing, only the ACER for grant outreach was below the WTP threshold when considering a high prevalence of violence USD2580 (USD1640-USD9370) per DALY averted. Confidence intervals for all ACERs crossed the WTP threshold. In conclusion, grant outreach and parenting support are likely to be cost-effective intervention scenarios for reducing violence against adolescents if they apply routine service costing and reach high risk groups. Combining parenting support with grant linkage is likely to be more cost-effective than parenting support alone.

Understanding healthcare services response to technology - assisted child sexual abuse: A freedom of information study

BackgroundThe reported rates of technology-assisted child sexual abuse (TA-CSA) have increased in the last decade. It is unclear how services are currently responding to cases of child sexual abuse that involve an online element. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to understand the current framework of support offered by National Health Service (NHS) UK Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC) for cases involving TA-CSA. This includes understanding if a services' current assessment tools refer to TA-CSA, whether interventions address TA-CSA, and assessing what training for TA-CSA is offered to practitioners. SettingSixty-eight NHS Trusts with either an affiliated CAMHS or SARC. MethodA Freedom of Information Act request was sent to NHS Trusts. Under this Act, the Trust had 20 working days to respond to the request, which included 6 questions. Results86 % Trusts (42 CAMHS and 11 SARC) responded to the request. Of the responses, 54 % CAMHS and 55 % SARC offer relevant training to practitioners. 59 % CAMHS and 28 % SARC provide tools for their initial assessment that reference online life. No Trust provided a clear treatment approach for TA-CSA, with 35 % CAMHS and 36 % SARC responding that treatment would address the mental health needs of the young person. ConclusionsThere is a need for a nationwide understanding of how to clearly define TA-CSA in policies and how to approach TA-CSA during an initial assessment. Further, a consistent approach on how to equip practitioners with tools to support individuals who have experienced TA-CSA is urgently needed.

Severe pelvic pain is associated with sexual abuse experienced during childhood and/or adolescence irrespective of the presence of endometriosis.

Is endometriosis associated with childhood and/or adolescent sexual abuse? Endometriosis is not associated with a history of sexual abuse, unlike the presence of severe pelvic pain. Several studies have highlighted a link between pelvic pain and sexual abuse during childhood/adolescence. Moreover, an inflammatory state has been described in patients with a history of childhood maltreatment. Given that inflammation and pelvic pain are two entities often encountered with endometriosis, several teams have investigated whether endometriosis is associated with abuse during childhood/adolescence. However, the results are conflicting, and the link between sexual abuse and the presence of endometriosis and/or pain is hard to disentangle. A survey nested in a cohort study of women surgically explored for benign gynecological indications at our institution between January 2013 and January 2017. For each patient, a standardized questionnaire was completed during a face-to-face interview with the surgeon in the month preceding the surgery. Pelvic pain symptoms (dysmenorrhea, deep dyspareunia, non-cyclic chronic pelvic pain, and gastrointestinal or lower urinary tract symptoms) and their intensities were assessed with a 10 cm visual analog scale (VAS). Pain was considered to be severe when the VAS score was ≥7. A 52-question survey was sent in September of 2017 to evaluate abuses, especially sexual abuse during childhood and/or adolescence, and the psychological state during childhood and adolescence. The survey was structured to cover the following sections: (i) abuses and other life events during childhood and adolescence; (ii) puberty and body changes; (iii) onset of sexuality; and (iv) family relationships during childhood and adolescence. The patients were divided into groups according to whether or not they exhibited histologically proven endometriosis. Statistical analyses were conducted using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Two hundred and seventy-one patients answered all the questions of the survey: 168 with (endometriosis group) and 103 without endometriosis (control group). The mean ± SD overall population age was 32.2 ± 5.1 years. There were 136 (80.9%) and 48 (46.6%) women who experienced at least one severe pelvic pain symptom in the endometriosis and the control groups, respectively (P < 0.001). No differences were found between the two study groups regarding the following characteristics: (i) a history of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse; (ii) a history of abandonment or bereavement; (iii) the psychological state regarding puberty; and (iv) the family relationships. After multivariable analysis, we found no significant association between endometriosis and a history of sexual abuse during childhood and/or adolescence (P = 0.550). However, the presence of at least one severe pelvic pain symptom was independently associated with a history of sexual abuse (odds ratio = 3.6, 95% CI (1.2-10.4)). Evaluation of the psychological state during childhood and/or adolescence can be subject to recall bias. In addition, selection bias is also a possibility given that some of the patients surveyed did not return the questionnaire. Severe gynecological painful symptoms in women with or without histologically proven endometriosis may be linked to sexual abuse experienced during childhood and/or adolescence. Patient questioning about painful symptoms and abuses is important to provide comprehensive care to the patients, from a psychological to a somatic point of view. No funding or competing interests. N/A.

The Personal growth on adolescent sexual abuse offender who have passed the detention period

Adolescents who believe that they can change are more open to learning, willing to confront challenges, and able to rise from failing, which means personal growth. This research aims to know the process of personal growth in adolescent sexual abuse offenders. The method that was used is qualitative with a phenomenology approach and using the interview as a data collection method. The result of this research describes the personal growth of adolescent sexual abuse offenders marked with three themes of personal growth starting the change, feeling the dissonance, and reorganizing the experience. The personal growth that surfaced is influenced by family, experience, and spiritual factors.

Association of early life physical and sexual abuse with premature mortality among female nurses: prospective cohort study

ObjectiveTo explore associations between early life physical and sexual abuse and subsequent risk of premature mortality (death before age 70 years).DesignProspective cohort study.SettingThe Nurses’ Health Study II (2001-19).Participants67 726 female...

‘Letting you share when you need to share’: navigating the potential and precarity of friends and peers for UK young people after sexual abuse in adolescence

AbstractThis article explores the rarely considered role of friends and peers supporting young people after sexual abuse experienced in adolescence, drawing on participatory research with 32 young people in the UK with lived experience. The article considers ways in which relationships with friends and peers interplay with recovery from abuse. This includes friends and peers as recipients of disclosure, conduits to professional support, sources of emotional support and distraction, and being embroiled in often challenging, precarious peer cultures that young people navigate post‐abuse. The article explores young people's rationale for, and experiences of, reaching out to friends and peers. It considers what young people seek and gain from these relationships in the aftermath of abuse, while acknowledging complex risks and precarity of these relationships. It argues that support from friends offers something distinct to family and professionals. It explores benefits of these relationships, but also potential for peer responses to undermine wellbeing if not sufficiently supportive or informed. The article ends by arguing for professionals to better recognise and respond to these relational contexts and consider whether there are safe and appropriate ways to ‘support young people to support’ without responsibilisation, and recognising welfare needs of those providing such support.

Sexual Abuse and Its Impact on Suicidal Ideation and Attempts and Psychiatric Illness in Children and Adolescents With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Objective: Sexual abuse in minors aged 6-17 years is a significant public health concern. Victims of sexual abuse are at risk of developing complex psychopathology and chronic suicidal thoughts. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops in one-third of minors with a history of sexual abuse. The primary objective of this study was to assess the baseline characteristics of minors with PTSD and a history of sexual abuse (PTSD+S) compared with minors with PTSD without sexual abuse (PTSD only). The secondary objective was to evaluate the psychiatric comorbidities and suicidal ideation/attempts between the groups.Methods: The National Inpatient Sample database from 2006 to 2014 was analyzed using the ICD-9 code for PTSD and history of sexual abuse. PTSD+S (n = 251) subjects were compared with those with PTSD only (n = 24,243) using t test and χ2 test. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with suicidal behavior (suicidal ideation/attempt) as the outcome and PTSD with and without sexual abuse, sex, age, and other psychiatric comorbid conditions as independent variables.Results: More patients in the PTSD+S group were nonwhite (52% vs 42%, P < .001) and female (81% vs 66%, P < .001) compared to PTSD only patients. Also, more patients were Hispanic in the PTSD+S group compared to the PTSD only group (28% vs 13%). Major depressive disorder (MDD; 23% vs 14%, P < .001) and substance use disorder (SUD; 20% vs 11%) were more commonly diagnosed psychiatric comorbidities in the PTSD+S group (P < .001). Suicidal behavior (suicidal ideation/attempt) was higher in the PTSD+S group than in PTSD only patients (36% vs 30%, P = .05). Overall, the risk of suicidal behavior was 29% higher in the PTSD+S group than in PTSD only patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.29, P = .05). In the multivariate analysis, after controlling for age and sex, comorbid diagnosis of MDD (OR = 1.66, P < .001) and SUD (OR = 1.18, P < .001) was associated with increased suicidal behavior. However, PTSD+S showed no association with suicidality (OR = 1.16, P = .29) in the multivariate analysis.Conclusions: Sexual abuse is associated with PTSD and higher risk of comorbid psychiatric illnesses, including MDD, SUD, and suicidal behavior. In-depth research on the relationship between child and adolescent sexual abuse and chronic suicidality is warranted.