CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL-PROBLEMS IN ADOLESCENCE - GENDER DIFFERENCES

Objective: To compare sexually abused boys with sexually abused girls and with their non-sexually abused counterparts with regard to (1) the type of mental health problems they experience; and (2) the number an d patterns of such problems. Method: The sample comprised 745 secondar y school students, aged 12 to 19 years, with a self-reported history o f sexual abuse (151 boys and 594 girls) and 745 matched students witho ut such a history. Sexually abused and nonsexually abused boys and gir ls were compared with regard to four problem categories: emotional pro blems, aggressive/criminal behaviors, addiction-risk behaviors, and su icidality. Results: A larger proportion of sexually abused adolescents than nonabused adolescents reported problems in the separate categori es and in a combination of problem categories. Sexually abused boys ha d considerably more emotional and behavioral problems, including suici dality, than their female counterparts. There were differences between the specific combinations of problem categories reported by sexually abused girls and boys. These differences could not be attributed to th e finding that sexually abused boys were more often the victim of conc urrent physical abuse than sexually abused girls. Conclusions: The res ults suggest that although there was a strong association between bein g sexually abused and the existence of a multiple problem pattern in b oth sexes, the aftermath for boys might be even worse or more complex than for girls.