NCJ Number
146940
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1994) Pages: 51-61
Date Published
1994
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Help-seeking adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) were assessed to examine the relationship between level of CSA exposure and subsequent development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Abstract
The study sample included 42 adults who disclosed CSA histories; they were recruited through Los Angeles area therapists known to work with CSA survivors. The sample also included five participants obtained through a therapist in Edmonton, Canada. Subjects were primarily female, white, and lower to middle class. CSA exposure was operationalized in terms of overall level of CSA exposure, abuse frequency and duration, age of onset, use of force, perceived life threat, and occurrence of penetration. Participants were administered standardized measures of PTSD, including the Structured Clinical Interview of DSM-III-R (SCID). On the SCID, 69 percent of survivors met full DSM-III-R criteria for PTSD. Significant correlations were found between several overall exposure measures and PTSD diagnostic status and the intensity of PTSD symptoms. Similar relationships were identified with abuse frequency and duration, age of onset, and use of force. In general, the study found a significant incidence of PTSD among adult CSA survivors and demonstrated the usefulness of a PTSD conceptual model for adult CSA survivors. 33 references and 2 tables