Patterns of Childhood Sexual Abuse Characteristics and Their Relationships to Other Childhood Abuse and Adult Health
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2004
Abstract
The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to cluster women who experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA) according to their shared patterns of CSA characteristics and (b) to examine differences across clusters on measures of other childhood abuse and adult health. Seven CSA characteristic variables were used for cluster analysis. The seven-cluster solution that emerged ranged from a noncontact extrafamilial CSA cluster that occurred without force only once to the most severe clusters in which penetration by an intrafamilial or extrafamilial abuser occurred multiple times with force. Significant differences among clusters were found for childhood emotional abuse and physical abuse, adult physical and psychosocial symptomatology, and depression. There were no significant differences for health care utilization. The results promote further understanding of which victims of CSA are more likely to have experienced other forms of childhood abuse and which victims are more at risk for poor health in adulthood.
Publication Title
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Volume
19
Issue
4
First Page
389
DOI of Published Version
10.1177/0886260503262079
Publisher
Sage Publications
Recommended Citation
Hulme, Polly A. and Agrawal, Sangeeta, "Patterns of Childhood Sexual Abuse Characteristics and Their Relationships to Other Childhood Abuse and Adult Health" (2004). College of Nursing Faculty Publications. 43.
https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/con_pubs/43