NCJ Number
210073
Journal
Interpersonal Violence Volume: 17 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2002 Pages: 1115-1129
Date Published
October 2002
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study tested whether there are links between physical and sexual abuse in childhood and seven measures of health problems in adulthood.
Abstract
Data were obtained from the National Violence Against Women Survey, a national telephone survey about experiences with violence. Data were collected from 8,000 women and 8,000 men from November 1995 to May 1996. Seven measures assessed health problems in adulthood, including current perceptions of general health, serious physical injury, miscarriage or stillbirth, chronic physical health condition, chronic mental health condition, drug use, and alcohol use. These health problems were selected because researchers were able to determine their onset, which permitted the identification of a temporal sequence between childhood victimization and health problems. Physical victimization in childhood was assessed with 12 questions from the Conflict Tactics Scales, and sexual victimization (completed or attempted) in childhood was assessed by asking women five questions about various types of sexual experiences accompanied by coercion, force, or the threat of force. Multivariate logistic regression analyses tested the associations between childhood physical and sexual victimization and the seven health problems. Results indicate that the experience of either physical or sexual abuse in childhood was associated with poor perceptions of general health, sustaining a serious injury, acquiring a mental health condition, using drugs, and using alcohol daily in adulthood. The findings further show that women who experienced both childhood physical and sexual abuse had an increased risk for health problems compared with women who experienced only one type of abuse. Findings suggest that intervening with child abuse victims at an early stage may reduce the likelihood of long-term health problems. 1 table and 43 references