Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and related sequelae in a lesbian population

Abstract

Purpose: This paper reports on the prevalence of a history of childhood sexual abuse from a national community-based sample of 1633 adult lesbians. Design: The descriptive analysis includes a comparison of mental and physical health variables commonly reported in adult survivors of childhood abuse in two subsamples, one who reported a history of childhood sexual abuse and one who did not. Results: The prevalence of a history of childhood abuse in this sample was higher than some other samples of women. Conclusions: The survivor group reported significantly greater emotional and physical distress and symptoms, and was more likely to have a family history of drug or alcohol abuse.