NCJ Number
155590
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: (Fall 1994) Pages: 223-232
Date Published
1994
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Data from a multiethnic sample of 243 women were examined to determine whether minority females who are survivors of child sexual abuse have a higher risk than other women of experiencing sexual assault as adults.
Abstract
The sample included white, black, Hispanic, and Asian American women who were recruited and randomly selected from a pool of volunteers from two community colleges. The women completed extensive clinical interviews. Results revealed that nearly two-thirds of those who reported rape as an adult had a history of child sexual abuse, compared to one- third of the women who did not report being raped as an adult. In addition, an analysis of the rates of adult rape within each ethnic group revealed differences between the women with and without a history of child sexual abuse. Significant differences (i.e., higher rates of rape associated with a prior history of child sexual abuse) occurred for white, African American, and Latino women, but not for Asian American women. Findings highlighted the relationship between child sexual abuse and adult rape and indicated the need for researchers to take a broader cultural context in which to consider sexual victimization. Tables and 39 references (Author abstract modified)