History of physical and/or sexual abuse and current suicidality in collegewomen

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship betwee n a history of physical and/or sexual abuse and current suicidality in coll ege-age women. It was hypothesized that abuse history would significantly p redict level of suicidality. A secondary hypothesis was that abuse status w ould predict attitudes about life and death. Method: Female college students (n = 707) were screened for histories of ch ildhood (before age 15) and adulthood (after age 15) contact sexual abuse a nd physical abuse sequelae. Ninety-five women reported a history of childho od sexual abuse, 116 adult sexual abuse. 104 child physical abuse, and 55 a dult physical abuse. Participants completed measures of attitudes about lif e and death and current suicidal ideation. Results: Child physical abuse and child sexual abuse accounted for variance in current suicidal ideation. Adult sexual abuse explained variance in pos itive attitudes about life. Adult physical abuse, adult sexual abuse, and c hild sexual abuse accounted for variance in negative attitudes about life. Finally, child sexual abuse and adult sexual abuse accounted for variance i n fear of death. Conclusions: Detailed assessment of female college students' abuse historie s should facilitate understanding of their level of suicide risk. Patterns of attitudes about life and death may also be informative. (C) 2000 Elsevie r Science Ltd.