NCJ Number
170899
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 21 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1997) Pages: 1177-1190
Date Published
1997
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study identified the factors that distinguished young adults exposed to childhood sexual abuse (CSA) who developed psychiatric disorders or adjustment difficulties in young adulthood from those young adults exposed to CSA who did not develop psychiatric disorders or adjustment difficulties by age 18.
Abstract
Data were obtained on a birth cohort of 1,025 New Zealand children studied from birth to the age of 18 regarding exposure to CSA; patterns of psychiatric disorder and adjustment difficulties at age 18; and factors that may have influenced responses to CSA, including characteristics of the abuse, parental bonding, parental characteristics, and adolescent peer affiliations. Just over 10 percent of the cohort reported CSA. Those reporting CSA were at increased risk for a range of difficulties at age 18, including depression, anxiety, conduct disorder, alcohol abuse/dependence, other substance abuse/dependence, post sexual abuse trauma, and attempted suicide; however, not all of those exposed to CSA developed difficulties, and approximately one-fourth of those exposed to CSA did not meet criteria for any adjustment difficulty. Further analysis suggested that the extent of adjustment difficulties in those exposed to CSA was influenced by two additional factors: the extent of affiliations with delinquent or substance-using peers in adolescence, as well as the extent of paternal care or support in childhood. The findings of this study suggest that although young people exposed to CSA are at increased risk for psychiatric disorders and adjustment difficulties in young adulthood, not all individuals exposed to CSA will develop adjustment difficulties. Important factors that protect against the development of adjustment difficulties in young people experiencing CSA apparently are the nature and quality of peer and family relationships. 3 tables and 55 references