Closer Look at the Nature of Intimate Partner Violence Reported by Women With a History of Child Sexual Abuse

• NCJ Number: 208767
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 116-132
• Author(s): David DiLillo; Dawn Diuffre; George C. Tremblay; Lizette Peterson
• Date Published: February 2001
• Length: 17 pages
• Grant Number(s): MCJ-290635
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the occurrence of violence in the intimate partner relationships of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA).

Abstract

Women were recruited from local chapters of the Federal Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program. Criteria for inclusion in the study were low income (defined by Medicaid eligibility criteria), at least one child between the ages of 18 and 59 months, and no more than 2 years of post-high school education. Participants must also have reported high levels of anger toward their children and the use of physical punishment as a form of discipline on at least one occasion. A total of 240 women who met these criteria and were also currently involved in romantic relationships with men were included in the analyses. The women participated in two assessment sessions that involved structured clinical interviews. A single interview question pertained to childhood sexual experiences. Those who reported childhood sexual abuse were asked to indicate the types of sexual abuse experienced by indicating the numbers of cards that described various types of sexual abuse. During the interviews, the women were also asked about conflict in current intimate relationships. A total of 113 (47 percent) of the women reported some history of childhood sexual abuse. The women who had experienced CSA were more likely to report involvement in several severe forms of violence in their intimate relationships compared with the women who had not experienced CSA. The violence reported included hitting, kicking, and beating. A greater proportion of CSA survivors' relationships had involved at least one incident of both man-to-woman and woman-to-man aggression. An unexpected finding was that a significant number of the women, regardless of sexual abuse history, reported one or more acts of woman-to-man violence only. Suggestions are offered for future research. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 50 references