Mayo Clin Proc. 1992 Jun;67(6):527-32.
Health risk behaviors and medical sequelae of childhood sexual abuse.
Springs FE, Friedrich WN.
Mayo Medical School, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905.
The relationship between childhood sexual abuse and subsequent health risk
behaviors and medical problems was examined in 511 women who had used a
family practice clinic in a rural midwestern community during a 2-year
period (1988 and 1989). These women completed a questionnaire that assessed
various health risk behaviors--smoking, drinking, drug abuse, number of
sexual partners, and age at first intercourse--and a medical symptom
checklist that assessed 38 medical problems related to major systems of body
function, the somatization scale from the SCL-90, a screen for sexual abuse,
and a brief measure of social support. The results indicated that sexually
abused women, who represented 22.1% of the sample, reported significantly
more medical problems, greater levels of somatization, and more health risk
behaviors than did the nonabused women. More severe abuse (for example,
penetration or multiple abusers) correlated with more severe problems.
Extent of social support correlated inversely with the number of gynecologic
problems reported in the sexually abused group. Fewer than 2% of the
sexually abused women had discussed the abuse with a physician. To identify
and assist victims of sexual abuse, physicians should become experienced
with nonthreatening methods of eliciting such information when the medical
history is obtained.
