Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-94d59 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T04:32:35.650Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Effect of Child Sexual Abuse on Social, Interpersonal and Sexual Function in Adult Life

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

P. E. Mullen*
Affiliation:
Monash University, Australia
J. L. Martin
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago
J. C. Anderson
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago
S. E. Romans
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago
G. P. Herbison
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, University of Otago, New Zealand
*
Professor P. E. Mullen, Forensic Psychiatry Services, Private Bag No. 1, Rosanna, Victoria 3084, Australia

Extract

Background

The association was examined between reporting child sexual abuse (CSA) and a range of social, interpersonal and sexual difficulties in adult life.

Method

A random sample of 2250 women were posted a questionnaire exploring a range of abuse experiences. All 248 reporting CSA were invited for interview, together with an equal number of controls. At interview a detailed inquiry was made into the CSA and into current interpersonal, social and sexual function.

Results

Significant associations emerged between reporting CSA and a decline in socioeconomic status, increased sexual problems, and the disruption of intimate relationships by difficulties with trust as well as a propensity to perceive their partners as uncaring and overcontrolling. CSA was more common in those from disturbed and disrupted families and in those who also reported physical and emotional abuse. This explained part, but not all, of the apparent association between CSA and negative outcomes.

Conclusions

Those reporting CSA are more likely to suffer social, interpersonal and sexual difficulties in adult life.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1994 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, P. C. (1992) Application of attachment theory to the study of sexual abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 185195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, P. C. (1993) The differential effects of abuse characteristics and attachment in the prediction of long term effects of sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8, 346362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, P. C. & Lupfer, S. L. (1987) Family characteristics and long-term consequences associated with sexual abuse. Archives of Sexual Behaviour, 16, 235245.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, J. C., Martin, J. L., Mullen, P. E., et al (1993) The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse experiences in a community sample of women. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 911919.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beitchman, J. H., Zucker, K. J., Hood, J. E., et al (1991) A review of the short term effects of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15, 537556.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beitchman, J. H., Zucker, K. J., Hood, J. E., et al (1992) A review of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16, 101118.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bifulco, A., Brown, G. W. & Adler, Z. (1991) Early sexual abuse and clinical depression in adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 115122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Briere, J. & Runtz, M. (1988) Symptomatology associated with childhood sexual victimisation in a non-clinical sample. Child Abuse and Neglect, 12, 5159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, G. W., Bifulco, A., Bridge, L., et al (1986) Life stress, chronic psychiatric symptoms and vulnerability to clinical depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 11, 119.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Browne, A. & Finkelhor, D. (1986) Impact of child sexual abuse: a review of the research. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 6677.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, J. A. & Mannarino, A. P. (1988) Psychological symptoms in sexually abused girls. Child Abuse and Neglect, 12, 571577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cole, P. M., Woolger, C., Power, T. G. & Smith, K. D. (1992) Parenting difficulties among adult survivors of father-daughter incest. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16, 239249.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Conte, J. R. & Schuerman, J. R. (1987) The effects of sexual abuse on children: A multidimensional review. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2, 380390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Downs, W. R. (1993) Developmental considerations for the effects of childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8, 331345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Einbender, A. J. & Friedrich, W. N. (1989) Psychological functioning and behaviour of sexually abused girls. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 155157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Elley, W. B. & Irving, J. C. (1985) The Elley-Irving socioeconomic index. New Zealand Journal of Education Studies, 20, 115228.Google Scholar
Finkelhor, D. (1979) Sexually Victimised Children. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Finkelhor, D. (1984) Child Sexual Abuse: New Theory and Research. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Finkelhor, D. & Baron, L. (1986) Risk factors for child sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1, 4371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I. A., et al (1990) Sexual abuse in a national survey of adult men and women: Prevalence characteristics and risk factors. Child Abuse and Neglect, 14, 1928.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedrich, W. N., Beilke, R. & Urquize, A. J. (1987) Children from sexually abusive families: A behavioural comparison. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2, 391402.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fromuth, M. E. (1986) The relationship of childhood sexual abuse with later psychological and sexual adjustment in a sample of college women. Child Abuse and Neglect, 10, 515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gold, E. R. (1986) Long-term effects of sexual victimisation in childhood: An attributional approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 471475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, T. O. (1988) Psychosocial vulnerability to depression. In Handbook of Social Psychiatry (eds Henderson, S. & Burrows, G.), pp. 5571. Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Harter, S., Alexander, P. C. & Neimeyer, R. A. (1988) Long-term effects of incestuous child abuse in college women: Social adjustment social cognition and family characteristics. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 56, 58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, A. S. & Brown, G. S. (1988) Social support; the hypothesis and the evidence. In Handbook of Social Psychiatry (eds Henderson, A. S. & Burrows, G.), pp. 7385. Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Herman, J. (1981) Father Daughter Incest. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hotte, J. P. & Rafman, S. (1992) The specific effects of incest on prepubertal girls from dysfunctional families. Child Abuse and Neglect, 16, 273283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ingram, J. G., Kreitman, N. B., Miller, P. M., et al (1986) Self-esteem, vulnerability and psychiatric disorders in the community. British Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 373385.Google Scholar
Jehu, D. (1989) Beyond Sexual Abuse: Therapy with Women who were Childhood Victims. Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Jones, D. R. & Rushton, L. (1982) Simultaneous inference in epidemiological studies. International Journal of Epidemiology, 11, 276282.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kiser, L. J., Heston, J., Millsap, P. A. & Pruitt, D. B. (1991) Physical and sexual abuse in childhood: Relationships with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 776783.Google ScholarPubMed
McLeer, S. V., Deblinger, E., Atkins, M. S., et al (1988) Post-traumatic stress disorder in sexually abused children. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 650654.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martin, J. L., Anderson, J. C., Romans, S. E., et al (1993) Asking about child sexual abuse: methodological implications of a two stage survey. Child Abuse and Neglect, 17, 383392.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mullen, P. E. (1993) Child sexual abuse and mental health: the development of disorder. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8, 429.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mullen, P. E., Romans-Clarkson, S. E., Walton, V. A. & Herbison, P. G. (1993) Impact of sexual and physical abuse on women's mental health. Lancet, i, 841845.Google Scholar
Mullen, P. E., Martin, J. L., Anderson, J. C., et al (1993) Child sexual abuse and mental health in adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 721732.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parker, G. (1979) Parental characteristics in relation to depressive disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 138147.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parker, G. (1983) Parental Overprotection: A Risk Factor in Psychosocial Development. New York: Grune & Stratton.Google Scholar
Peters, S. D. (1988) Child sexual abuse and later psychological problems. In Lasting Effects of Child Sexual Abuse (eds Wyatt, G. E. & Powell, G. J.), pp. 101117. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Romans, S. E., Walton, V. A., Herbison, G. P. & Mullen, P. E. (1992) Social networks and psychiatric morbidity in New Zealand women. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 26, 485492.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Russell, D. E. H. (1986) The Secret Trauma: Incest in the Lives of Girls and Women. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Sedney, M. A. & Brooks, B. (1984) Factors associated with a history of childhood sexual experience in a non-clinical female population. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 215218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stein, J. A., Golding, J. M., Siegel, J. M., et al (1988) Long-term pyschological sequelae of child sexual abuse. In Lasting Effects of Child Sexual Abuse (eds Wyatt, G. E. & Powell, G. J.), pp. 135154. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Terr, L. C. (1991) Childhood traumas: An outline and overview. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 1020.Google ScholarPubMed
Tong, L., Oates, K. & McDowell, M. (1987) Personality development following sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 11, 371383.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilhelm, K. & Parker, G. (1988) The development of a measure of intimate bonds. Psychological Medicine, 18, 225234.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winfield, I., George, L. K., Swartz, M. & Blazer, D. G. (1990) Sexual assault and psychiatric disorders among a community sample of women. American Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 335341.Google ScholarPubMed
Wyatt, G. E. & Mickey, M. R. (1987) Ameliorating the effects of child sexual abuse: An exploratory study of support by parents and others. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2, 403414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.