Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a wide range of negative outcomes. The authors investigated the relation between CSA and sexual risk behavior in 827 patients recruited from a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic. Overall, CSA was reported by 53% of women and 49% of men and was associated with greater sexual risk behavior,…

Purpose: This study assessed the extent of different types of abuse, repeated and multiple abuse experiences among women aged 60 and older, and their effects on the women's self-reported health. Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study of a clinical sample of 842 community-dwelling women aged 60 and older completed a telephone survey about type…

A district attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, argues that prosecution is the most effective and appropriate response to child abuse cases. Two basic premises are advanced. First, anyone who physically abuses, sexually assaults, or rapes a child has committed a serious crime, regardless of the relationship of the victim to the offender.…

A study of 486 undergraduates found students who reported both severe sexual and severe physical abuse reported more lifetime suicidality than participants who reported mild sexual and/or physical abuse. Those who reported sexual abuse involving invasive sexual acts, and physical abuse resulting in physical injury, were more suicidal. (Author/CR)

Assessed degree of placing blame on self and on partner for violence in women (N=70) who had experiences marital violence. Found characterological self-blame was shown to be most highly associated with repeated physical or sexual abuse in childhood, lack of social support, and high rate of depression once out of the relationship. (Author/ABL)

Rates of substantiated maltreatment documented by the 1993 and 1998 Ontario Incidence Studies of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect doubled between 1993 and 1998. Although increasing public awareness and changes in investigation procedures appear to account for part of this change, the increase also reflects a significant shift in the types of…

The objective of this study was to examine the extent of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology and posttraumatic growth in young adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse in relation to the identity of the perpetrator. Two hundred and forty-six non-clinical female university students were administered self-report…

Objective: The study examines the self-reported prevalence of childhood physical and sexual abuse in a large sample of Portuguese parents. Method: Nearly 1,000 parents (506 mothers and 426 fathers) were selected through public primary schools from the Northern area of Portugal. All completed the Portuguese version of the Childhood History…

Objective: This study examines the association between maternal childhood maltreatment and psychopathology and aggression in intimate relationships during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Method: Forty-four pregnant women who were recruited from an obstetric clinic and local advertising periodical completed questionnaires about childhood…

This paper describes a teacher of literature who worked hard to develop a literature classroom that provides not only a structured atmosphere for developing reading strategies and knowledge of literary techniques, but also an environment in which students come to understand more about themselves and others through their reading of the texts. She…

This special issue of a bilingual periodical dedicated to the investigation of women's access to education and to feminist analysis of education and learning presents a variety of stories written by women who have experienced abuse that affected their education. The issue opens with an editorial, presented in full in both French and English, by…

Rates of sexual assault on women are sufficiently high that women live with a lifelong, pervasive fear of violence. Research has just begun to identify and analyze the health and mental health effects of sexual assault on victims, and studies are investigating the social and individual motivations of perpetrators. This document contains a…

Evaluated the effects on participants' self-image of sexual offenses they had committed. Subjects (N=6) were male adolescents convicted of child molestation in a residential treatment and care facility. Results suggested subjects (who were themselves victims of family violence) perceived an above average self-image and handled their problems by…

A study of 582 Southwestern American Indian Tribal members found that females were more likely to be sexually abused than males, intrafamilial members accounted for 78% of the reported abuse, sexually abused subjects were more likely to report behavioral problems, and sexually abused subjects were more likely to have psychiatric disorders.…

Analysis indicated a combination of physical abuse, sexual abuse, history of familial drug use, family violence, ethnicity, and a history of familial violence were significant in differentiating substance abusers from non-abusers. A separate analysis indicated that the significant variables grouped among three dimensions: violence, history of…