NCJ Number
238318
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2012 Pages: 190-199
Date Published
February 2012
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study explored whether women's cognitive abilities affected the link between a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and the women's levels of adult sexual functioning and satisfaction.
Abstract
The study found that women with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) were less likely to use first person pronouns in normal, neutral writings but more likely to use the word "I" when writing about sexuality. In addition, the study found that women with a history of CSA were more likely to use intimacy words in writing about sexuality than women with no history of CSA. The study also found that women with no history of CSA used more positive emotion words overall than the women with a history, and that women with a history of CSA used more negative emotion words in the sexual writings than women with no history of CSA. This study explored whether a women's cognitive abilities affected the link between a history of CSA and the women's levels of adult sexual functioning and satisfaction. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of women with a history of CSA (N=128) and without a history of CSA (N=99). A computerized text analysis program was used to examine the differences in language usage in essays the women wrote dealing with their daily life (neutral essay) and their beliefs about sexuality and the sexual experiences (sexual essay). Analysis of the findings indicates that the differences between women with a history of CSA and those without a history CSA extend to the way women use language, and that the use of specific types of language can significantly predict sexual functioning and satisfaction. Study limitations are discussed. Figures and references