CHILDHOOD FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AND SEXUAL ABUSE AS PREDICTORS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION IN ADULT WOMEN

Abstract

A study of 46 women with histories of childhood sexual abuse and a control group of 93 women without such histories showed an association between childhood sexual abuse and the women's symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as their perceptions of their families of origin. Results also suggested that family conflict, control, and cohesiveness moderated the relationship between the childhood abuse and current symptoms of depression. 1993 American Orthopsychiatric Association