LONG-TERM CORRELATES OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE - THEORY AND REVIEW OF THEEMPIRICAL LITERATURE

Since Browne and Finkelhor's (1986) seminal review of the impact of ch ild sexual abuse, there has been a dramatic increase in the child sexu al abuse literature. Because of this tremendous growth in the literatu re, a more current review is warranted. The focus of this paper is a r eview of the long-term correlates of child sexual abuse published sinc e 1987. Sexually abused subjects report higher levels of general psych ological distress and higher rates of both major psychological disorde rs and personality disorders than nonabused subjects. In addition, chi ld sexual abuse survivors report higher rates of substance abuse, bing e eating, somatization, and suicidal behaviors than nonabused subjects . Adult survivors of child sexual abuse report poorer social and inter personal relationship functioning, greater sexual dissatisfaction, dys function and maladjustment including high-risk sexual behavior, and a greater tendency toward revictimization through adult sexual assault a nd physical partner violence. The long-term correlates of child sexual abuse are conceptualized within a theoretical framework based on a th eory of emotional avoidance. Although more recent empirical findings h ave demonstrated improved designs and methodology, these studies conti nue to be limited in their generalizability. Recommendations for futur e research are discussed.