CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE AND BULIMIC BEHAVIOR IN A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE

Objectives. This study examines whether childhood sexual abuse is a si gnificant risk factor for the development of bulimic behavior in women . Methods. Interviews were conducted among a representative national s ample of 1099 US women regarding their sexual experiences during child hood as well as their lifetime prevalence of bulimic behavior. Logisti c regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios to measure the contribution of child-hood sexual abuse to the odds of several measur es of bulimic behavior in the population controlling for the responden t's age, ethnic group, and parents' educational level. Attributable ri sk analyses were conducted to estimate how much risk for bulimic behav ior was due to childhood sexual abuse. Results. Victims of childhood s exual abuse were significantly more likely to display bulimic behavior , and a substantial fraction of cases of bulimic behavior could be att ributed to such abuse. Conclusions. Childhood sexual abuse is a risk f actor for bulimic behavior. Between one sixth and one third of the cas es of significant bulimic disturbance could be attributed to childhood sexual abuse.