Jm. Darvesbornoz et al., SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION IN WOMEN WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AND BIPOLAR DISORDER, Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 30(2), 1995, pp. 78-84
Exposure of populations with psychosis to traumatic events (among them
sexual trauma) has seldom been studied. In addition, the clinical fea
tures developed by victims with psychosis after a traumatic event are
rarely taken into account. Sixty-four women with schizophrenia and 26
women with bipolar disorder (DSM-III-R diagnosed, 18-45 years, inpatie
nts and out-patients) were interviewed using a clinician-rated battery
of instruments, including a semi-structured questionnaire concerning
sexual victimization and its impact. In childhood or adolescence, 36%
of women with schizophrenia (vs 28% of those with bipolar disorder) ha
d been victims of sexual abuse involving body contact. In the women wi
th schizophrenia, this sexual abuse was associated with addictions, su
icide attempts and becoming psychiatric patients earlier. Over their l
ifetime, the prevalence of rape was 23% in the two clinical groups. In
women with schizophrenia, rape was associated with a greater severity
of their disorder and addictions. Moreover, a frequent repetition of
sexual trauma was observed in women with schizophrenia, whereas such r
epeated traumas were less frequent in those with bipolar disorder. The
results suggest that these two clinical groups are at risk of rape an
d the study highlight clinical features in victims with schizophrenia
that have been described for other groups of victims of sexual abuse.