PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND HISTORY OF SEXUAL ABUSE

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventories (MMPI-I) were used to co mpare the personality characteristics of a sexually abused (n = 105) a nd a matched nonabused sample of clinic patients (n = 105). Sexual abu se survivors were more frequently characterized by higher scores on th e Psychopathic Deviate (4) and Schizophrenia (8) scales, likely repres enting high levels of interpersonal discord and social alientation. Wi thin the sexually abused sample, more psychopathology was associated w ith male-to-male abuse, and more social discomfort was evident with ab use onset between ages 6-11 years. The results are discussed in terms of attributional processes associated with the abuse experience and im plications for future research.