Citation

Merrill LL, Newell CE, Thomsen CJ, Gold SR, Milner JS, Koss MP, Rosswork SG. J. Trauma. Stress 1999; 12(2): 211-225.

Affiliation

Medical Information Systems and Operations Research Department, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, California 92186-5122, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1023/A:1024789723779

PMID

10378162

Abstract

To examine effects of childhood abuse on adult rape, 1,887 female Navy recruits were surveyed. Overall 35% of recruits had been raped and 57% had experienced childhood physical abuse (CPA) and/or childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Controlling for CPA, rape was significantly (4.8 times) more likely among women who had experienced CSA than among women who had not. In contrast, CPA (controlling for CSA) was unrelated to likelihood of adult rape. Alcohol problems and number of sex partners were examined as mediators. Although both variables predicted rape, their effects were independent of the effects of CSA. Finally, despite ethnic group differences in the prevalence of victimization, the predictors of rape did not differ significantly across ethnic groups.

Language: en