Childhood sexual trauma and psychosocial functioning in adults with schizophrenia

Objective: This study explored the association between sexual abuse in chil dhood and the severity of psychosocial deficits in adults with schizophreni a. Methods: The Quality of Life Scale, which assesses current interpersonal and work function, and the NEO personality inventory, which assesses perso nality dimensions relevant to social functioning, were administered to 54 i ndividuals who had been diagnosed as having schizophrenia. Nineteen of the individuals reported having been sexually abused as children, and 35 report ed no history of abuse. Results: A multiple analysis of variance indicated that there were differences between the group of individuals who had a hist ory of sexual trauma and the group that did not. Subsequent univariate anal ysis of variance indicated that the individuals with a history of abuse had poorer current role functioning and fewer of the basic psychological build ing blocks necessary for sustaining intimacy. They also demonstrated higher levels of neuroticism, which is a measure of vulnerability to emotional tu rmoil. The two groups did not differ in frequency of interpersonal contacts or level of extroversion. Conclusions: Sexual abuse in childhood is associ ated with poorer psychosocial functioning in adults with schizophrenia.