WHAT DETERMINES POSTTRAUMATIC-STRESS-DISORDER SYMPTOMATOLOGY FOR SURVIVORS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE

Objective: The aim of this paper was to ascertain which childhood abus e experiences are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology for women survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). M ethod: Seventy-three women attending a Family Health Counselling Servi ce's Sexual Abuse Program were invited to participate in a study looki ng at the effectiveness of sexual abuse counselling. Initially, the wo men completed a series of self-report questionnaires including a measu re of PTSD symptoms, and were interviewed about childhood abuse experi ences. Results: PTSD symptoms were associated with higher levels of al l psychopathology. However, more interestingly, the severity of PTSD s ymptoms was also associated with the extent of CSA which involved actu al sexual intercourse. This association of repeated abuse involving se xual intercourse with PTSD symptoms was still significant (partial coe fficient =.30, p,.000) even when controlling for general level of psyc hopathology. Conclusions: One of the long-term effects of child sexual abuse (CSA) is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the women w ho reported multiple abusive episodes which involved sexual intercours e had increased symptoms of PTSD. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd,.