NCJ Number
144839
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (1992) Pages: 97- 104
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The relationship between childhood sexual abuse and psychosomatic symptoms is examined, particularly with respect to all forms of psychopathology and biological factors.
Abstract
Evidence indicates that childhood sexual abuse is a major risk factor in the development of depression, borderline personality disorder, substance abuse, and dissociative disorders. Research also shows that childhood trauma can have profound effects on adult psychophysiology and that some disorders exhibit psychobiological effects of trauma more than others. The trauma model of psychopathology predicts that severe childhood trauma causes a longlasting dysregulation at all levels of the organism. In particular, this model predicts that, in some families, depression is driven primarily by trauma. Treatment needs for these families are determined more by trauma history than by the mix of concurrent diagnoses. 10 references