Prevalence and risk factors for childhood sexual abuse in women: National survey findings

Objective: We interviewed a U.S. national sample of women, aged 18 years an d older to determine the prevalence and characteristics of childhood sexual abuse. We also examined which family and background variables were predict ive of CSA in this sample. Method: The study employed a series of detailed descriptive questions regar ding childhood sexual experiences that were administered in a highly struct ured format by trained female interviewers. CSA prevalence rates were calcu lated using two definitions of CSA, one of which was slightly more inclusiv e. Results: prevalence rates for the more inclusive CSA definition ranged from 21% to 328, depending on how respondents who provided incomplete informati on about their sexual experiences were classified. The less inclusive CSA d efinition resulted in prevalence rates ranging from 15% to 26%. Additional information about the types of abuse experienced, perpetrator characteristi cs, age at first abuse, and physical and affective consequences of the abus ive experiences are reported. The risk of CSA was related to higher scores on a measure of father's rejection, and the interaction between parental dr inking status and whether the respondent had lived with both parents during childhood. Further analysis of this interaction suggests that when respond ents reported living with both biological parents, they were most at risk f or CSA when their father was a nondrinker and their mother was a drinker. ( C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.