Child Sexual Abuse and Number of Sexual Partners in Young Women: The Role of Abuse Severity Coping Style and Sexual Functioning

Abstract

Theory and research suggest that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may lead to either avoidance of sex or compulsive sexual behavior. We proposed and tested a model that specified different pathways through which these divergent outcomes may occur. CSA victims who used avoidant strategies to cope with abuse were expected to display higher levels of sexual problems and to have fewer sex partners as adults. In contrast, CSA victims who used self-destructive strategies to cope with abuse were expected to display more dysfunctional sexual behavior and to report a higher number of sex partners as adults. Predictions were tested using data from a sample of female U.S. Navy recruits who reported CSA experiences (N = 547). As expected, the results indicated that the effects of CSA on number of sex partners were largely mediated by coping strategy and dysfunctional sexual behavior.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA421112

Entities

People

  • Cynthia J Thomsen
  • Jennifer M. Gulmond
  • Joel S. Milner
  • Lex L. Merrill

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Child Abuse
  • Demography
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Families (Human)
  • Human Behavior
  • Human Population
  • Medical Personnel
  • Minority Groups
  • Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Regression Analysis
  • Sexual Assault
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases
  • Social Sciences
  • Surveys
  • Victims

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Science in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
  • Organizational Psychology.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.