Comparison of the Psychosocial Maladjustment of Adult Males and Females Sexually Molested as Children

• NCJ Number: 130615
• Journal: Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1991) Pages: 205-217
• Author(s): J A Hunter Jr
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 13 pages
• Grant Number(s): 90-CA-1185
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health and Human Services
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Nonclinical samples of 24 adult males and 28 adult females, all molested as children, and control groups were compared for purposes of examining the long-term sequelae of child sexual abuse.

Abstract

Results from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Serogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale show that childhood sexual abuse is associated with adult psychosocial dysfunction in both male and female victims. Male victims were more likely to have been abused by adolescent perpetrators and experienced higher levels of anxiety, worry, rumination, and identity confusion. Female victims, more likely to have been involved in incestuous relationships, suffered more often from body image incongruencies and disturbances. 4 tables and 34 references (Author abstract modified)