A study from Australia paints a grim picture of the pervasiveness of childhood sexual abuse and the consequences for victims in later life. The study, published in the journal Archives of Sex Research, confirmed that childhood sexual abuse was shockingly common in Australia. The researchers said that one-third of women and one-sixth of men reported a history of childhood sexual abuse. "Women were more likely than men to report both non-penetrative and penetrative childhood sexual abuse," said researcher Professor Jake Najman.
But that's really only the start of the bad news, as childhood abuse can lead to serious sexual dysfunction later in life.
Najman, from the University of Queensland, said the research looked at the rates of sexual dysfunction by specific type of sexual abuse experience. "Females reporting both non-penetrative and penetrative sexual abuse experiences are substantially more likely to report many symptoms of sexual dysfunction," he said. He notes that men are not affected in the same way. "The research suggests that for males, non-penetrative childhood sexual abuse experiences do not lead of higher rates of sexual dysfunction." Interestingly, the study observed that women, but not men, who had experienced childhood sexual abuse, reported more sexual partners over their lifetime.
The study is one of the first to directly compare the impact of childhood sexual abuse on males with that of females in adulthood. Professor Najman said men and women could react differently because they tended to experience different kinds of childhood sexual abuse. Because women tended to be exposed to more abuse from within the family, and tended to experience it at younger ages, they could find childhood sexual abuse more damaging than men.
While the study was based exclusively on Australian subjects, aged between 18 and 59, the findings should also be a cause for concern in other Western countries.
Source: Research Australia
