U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

POSSIBLE INDICATORS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE FOR INDIVIDUALS IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT

NCJ Number
145099
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 1 Issue: 3 Dated: (1992) Pages: 63-74
Author(s)
J Wallen; K Berman
Date Published
1992
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Substance abusers with a history of childhood sexual abuse were compared to those without such a history.
Abstract
The subjects were 217 clients of two substance abuse treatment facilities in Maryland in 1989. Thirty-one subjects (33 percent of the women and 9 percent of the men) reported having been sexually abused as children. Their responses to questions about abuse, distress, and their relationship to their parents differed in only a few respects. They were significantly more likely to report having a father or mother with an alcohol or drug problem, still being troubled by childhood experiences, and having been physically abused as children; they were less likely to have a positive relationship with their mother. Interestingly, they were also more likely, though not to a statistically significant degree, to complete their substance abuse treatment period. Implications for treatment and further research are discussed. 2 tables, 1 endnote, and 17 references