CHILDHOOD VICTIMIZATION AND SUBSEQUENT RISK FOR PROMISCUITY, PROSTITUTION, AND TEENAGE PREGNANCY - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY

Objectives. This Study examined the extent to which being abused and/o r neglected in childhood increases a person's risk for promiscuity, pr ostitution, and teenage pregnancy. Methods. A prospective cohorts desi gn was used to match, on the basis of age, race, sex, and social class , cases of abused and/or neglected children from 1967 to 1971 with non abused and nonneglected children; subjects were followed-into young ad ult-hood. From 1989 to 1995, 1196 subjects (676 abused and/or neglecte d and 520 control subjects) were located and interviewed. Results. Ear ly childhood abuse and/or neglect was a significant predictor of prost itution for females (odds ratio [OR] = 2.96). For females sexual abuse (OR = 2.54) and neglect (OR = 2.58) were associated with prostitution , whereas physical abuse was only marginally associated. Childhood abu se and neglect were not associated with increased risk for promiscuity teenage pregnancy. Conclusions. These findings strongly support a rel ationship be tween childhood victimization and Subsequent prostitution . The presumed causal sequence between childhood victimization and tee nage pregnancy may need to be reevaluated.