Childhood abuse and subsequent sexual assault among female inpatients

Abstract

The relationship between a history of childhood abuse and subsequent sexual assault was assessed among 409 consecutive female inpatient admissions. A total of 45% of the sample reported a history of some form of childhood abuse and 22% reported at least one adulthood sexual assault. A hierarchical logistic regression indicated that, after controlling for sociodemographic and diagnostic variables, women with a history of childhood abuse were 3.1 times more likely to have experienced an adult sexual assault compared to those without abuse. There was a higher prevalence of adult sexual assault among women reporting only physical abuse or physical and sexual abuse than those reporting only sexual abuse, indicating the significance of physical abuse as a potential risk factor for adult sexual assault.

Histories of childhood maltreatment in schizophrenia: Relationships with premorbid functioning, symptomatology, and cognitive deficits

“…A number of studies have shown an increased risk for adult trauma and/or victimization among individuals who were maltreated as children (Briere and Elliott, 2003;Cloitre et al, 1996;Gladstone et al, 2004;Lang et al, 2004;Messman-Moore and Brown, 2004). Moreover, investigations have also demonstrated that psychiatric patients with serious mental illness are at an increased risk for victimization (Goodman et al, 1997(Goodman et al, ,2001Fitzgerald et al, 2005).…”

Long-Term Correlates of Childhood Abuse among Adults with Severe Mental Illness: Adult Victimization, Substance Abuse, and HIV Sexual Risk Behavior

“…Individuals who are abused in childhood are more likely to be sexually and physically abused again in adulthood, often repeatedly (Arriola et al, 2005;Cloitre et al, 1996;Goodman et al, 2001), and SMI is a risk factor for revictimization (Classen et al, 2005). In a recent review, childhood physical and sexual abuse each predicted sexual revictimization in adulthood, which in turn predicted greater substance abuse and HIV risk behavior, including more sex partners, sex trading, and sexually transmitted infections (Classen et al, 2005).…”

“…Among women with SMI, 43-52% report a history of childhood sexual abuse and 33-52% report a history of childhood physical abuse (e.g., Cloitre et al, 1996;Muenzenmaier et al, 1993;Mueser et al, 1998;Rosenberg et al, 2007), compared to 13-32% and 20-21%, respectively, among women in the general population (Briere and Elliot, 2003;Chartier et al, 2007;Edwards et al, 2003;Finkelhor et al, 1990). Many fewer studies have examined the prevalence of childhood abuse among men.…”

Social Cognition and Revictimization Risk

“…[ A range of deleterious consequences has been associated with child maltreatment, ranging from mental health to physical health problems. Childhood maltreatment predicts not only mental and physical health consequences, but also places the individual at risk for future victimization (e.g., Browne & Finkelhor, 1986;Cloitre, 1998;Cloitre, Tardiff, Marzuk, Leon, & Potera, 1996;Polusny & Follette, 1995;Wyatt, Guthrie, Notgrass, 1992). Links between childhood maltreatment, particularly sexual abuse, and later sexual victimization have been clearly established (for a review, see Arata, 2002).…”