The relationship between childhood sexual abuse and mental health outcomes among males: Results from a nationally representative United States sample

Date

2017

Authors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Child Abuse & Neglect

Abstract

Background Few studies have examined the associations between childhood sexual abuse (CSA), co-occurrence with other types of maltreatment and adult mental health outcomes, specifically among males. The objectives of this study were to: 1) determine the prevalence of males who have experienced a) childhood maltreatment without CSA; b) CSA without other forms of childhood maltreatment; and c) CSA along with other forms of childhood maltreatment; and 2) determine the relationship between CSA among males and mood, anxiety, substance and personality disorders and suicide attempts. Methods Data were drawn from the 2004–2005 National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) and limited to males age 20 years old and older (n = 14,564). Child maltreatment included harsh physical punishment, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV). Results Emotional abuse, physical abuse, and exposure to IPV were the most common forms of maltreatment that co-occurred with CSA among males. A history of CSA only, and CSA co-occurring with other types of child maltreatment, resulted in higher odds for many mental disorders and suicide attempts compared to a history of child maltreatment without CSA. Conclusions Child maltreatment is associated with increased odds of mental disorders among males. Larger effects were noted for many mental disorders and suicide attempts for males who experienced CSA with or without other child maltreatment types compared to those who did not experience CSA. These results are important for understanding the significant long-term effects of CSA among males.

Description

Keywords

child sexual abuse, males, Mental disorder, child maltreatment, co-occurrence

Citation

Turner, S., Taillieu, T., Cheung, K., & Afifi, T. O. (2017). The relationship between childhood sexual abuse and mental health outcomes among males: Results from a nationally representative United States sample. Child Abuse & Neglect. Online ahead of print. doi.org.calio.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.01.018

URI

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0145213417300297/1-s2.0-S0145213417300297-main.pdf?_tid=a0ee15da-efad-11e6-bc2f-00000aab0f6c&acdnat=1486744149_5c130c66e3c389b8ef2e09a0e126b74c
 http://hdl.handle.net/11212/3220

DOI

Collections

CALiO Collection of Resources