NCJ Number
227141
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2009 Pages: 161-172
Date Published
March 2009
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study explored the impact of child sexual abuse (CSA) on adult sexual behaviors in men and women in New Zealand.
Abstract
Results for abused women support a period of increased risk following adolescence, with rates then declining to those of their nonabused counterparts over time. The results for men are more complex; when considering unhappy pregnancies, abortions, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a similar pattern is suggested as that for abused women, though it was not confirmed. However, the results for number of sexual partners and acquisition of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) suggest an increased risk emerging later in adulthood for abused men compared with nonabused men. This indicates that a clear gender difference exists in how abuse impacts on women and men. These results highlight that both age and gender are critical components when considering long-term effects of CSA. For women, the profound impact of CSA in early adulthood is masked when all outcomes to age 32 are considered. If adult victimization is more common for abused women and is responsible for the elevated risk for STIs, unhappy pregnancies, and abortions, the lack of association at later ages would then suggest that revictimization is also most likely to occur in early adulthood. The higher rates of STIs, unhappy pregnancies, and abortions for younger women may also represent a reduced ability to communicate in sexual situations, to negotiate condom use and other safe sex behaviors, or may indicate that they do not choose their partners well. Data were collected from 465 women and 471 men from New Zealand using a longitudinal study of a birth cohort. Tables, figure, and references