Sex Differences in the Association of the Severity of Childhood Sexual Abuse with Premarital Sex among Chinese College Students in Luzhou, China

Abstract

Purpose:The adverse health consequences of premarital sex and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are both global public health problems. Based on random samples of college students from a Chinese city, this study investigated the relationship between CSA severity and premarital sex among students, with a focus on sex differences. Methods: A total of 2722 college students from 4 schools in Luzhou were recruited by multistage random sampling. Self-administered questionnaires were used to measure CSA experiences and premaritalsex. Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the relationship between CSA and premaritalsex. Results: The prevalence of CSA was 9.39%, and that of mild, moderate and severe CSA was 4.04%, 2.90% and 2.46% respectively. The premarital sex reporting rate was 22.42%. After adjusting for confounding variables, CSA was positively associated withpremarital sex. Notably, a cumulative effect of CSA on premarital sex was observed among students. Further stratification analyses showed that males who experienced CSA had a higher premarital sex rate than females, and this sex difference was also observed among students with different CSA severity. Conclusion: CSA and its severity were associated with premarital sex among college students. Furthermore, this association was stronger for males than females. Therefore, it is important to emphasize CSA prevention, especiallyfor boys. These findings can promote understanding of the effects of CSA on premarital sex, and prevention and intervention strategies for CSA should consider CSAseverity and sexdifferences.