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The long‐term mental health consequences of child sexual abuse: An exploratory study of the impact of multiple traumas in a sample of women
Author(s) -
Banyard Victoria L.,
Williams Linda M.,
Siegel Jane A.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1023/a:1013085904337
Subject(s) - sexual abuse , mental health , child sexual abuse , child abuse , psychology , clinical psychology , longitudinal study , psychological abuse , distress , psychiatry , poison control , injury prevention , exploratory research , suicide prevention , occupational safety and health , victimology , medicine , medical emergency , pathology , sociology , anthropology
The current study examined exposure to multiple traumas as mediators of the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and negative adult mental health outcomes. Participants were 174 women interviewed in the third wave of a longitudinal study of the consequences of child sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse victims reported a lifetime history of more exposure to various traumas and higher levels of mental health symptoms. Exposure to traumas in both childhood and adulthood other than child sexual abuse mediated the relationship between child sexual abuse and psychological distress in adulthood. There were also some significant direct effects for child sexual abuse on some outcome measures. Results point to the importance of understanding the interconnected nature of trauma exposure for some survivors.