TYPE AND SEVERITY OF CHILD-ABUSE AND COLLEGE-STUDENTS LIFETIME SUICIDALITY

Objective: The present study compared reported histories and severity of child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, and both, in college men and women. Method: Four hundred and eighty-six consenting undergraduat es completed measures of suicidality, sexual abuse (SA), and physical abuse (PA). Based on their responses, they were categorized into 12 mu tually exclusive groups: no PA/no SA (n = 234), moderate PA/no SA (n = 78), severe PA/no SA (n = 34), no Pa/mild SA (n = 21), moderate PA/mi ld SA (n = 12), severe PA/mild SA (n = 5), no PA/moderate SA (n = 20), moderate PA/moderate SA (n = 15), and severe PA/moderate SA (n = 10). Results: Participants who reported both severe sexual and severe phys ical abuse reported more lifetime suicidality than participants who re ported either mild sexual and/or physical abuse. Those who reported se xual abuse involving invasive sexual acts such as rape, and physical a buse involving behaviors that resulted in physical injury to the child , were more suicidal than those who reported less severe abuse. In add ition, although combined sexual and physical abuse correlated with inc reased suicidality, unexpectedly, there was no interaction. Finally, w omen students endorsed more reasons for living than men and about the same level of suicidal ideas and global suicidality, despite a greater likelihood of having been abused. Conclusions: The absence of an inte raction between sexual and physical abuse suggests that this increased suicidality is additive rather than multiplicative. An implication is that college counseling personnel need to be aware of the suicidal ri sk of women and men students reporting either sexual or physical abuse . (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.