Abstract
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) as a predictor of depression and self-destructive behaviors in adulthood was examined relative to other traumatic stressors in childhood and adulthood with special attention to sex differences. In a college sample of 173 men and 265 women, 16% of male (n=28) and 24% of female respondents (n=63) reported having been sexually abused as children. CSA, ranging from unwanted kissing and fondling to unwanted sexual intercourse, predicted depression, chronic self-destructiveness, self-harm ideation, acts of self-harm, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts, for both men and women. The more frequent and severe the sexual abuse and the longer its duration, the more depression and self-destructiveness reported in adulthood. Other stressors predicted these effects less consistently but their occurrence in combination with CSA contributed to the negativity of long-term outcomes. Study results affirm previous findings of a relationshop between CSA and depression and self-destructiveness in adult females and extend them to males.
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Boudewyn, A.C., Liem, J.H. Childhood sexual abuse as a precursor to depression and self-destructive behavior in adulthood. J Trauma Stress 8, 445–459 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02102969
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02102969