Citation

Stephenson KR, Hughan CP, Meston CM. Child Abuse Negl. 2012; 36(2): 180-189.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton, Austin, TX 78751, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.09.015

PMID

22391416

PMCID

PMC3307829

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the degree to which a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) moderates the association between sexual functioning and sexual distress in women. METHOD: Women with (n=105, M age=33.71, 66.1% Caucasian) and without (n=71, M age=32.63, 74.7% Caucasian) a history of CSA taking part in a larger clinical trial completed self-report questionnaires at intake including the Sexual Satisfaction Scale for Women (SSS-W), the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and the Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ). RESULTS: Desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm interacted with sexual abuse status in predicting sexual distress such that sexual functioning was more weakly associated with distress for women with a history of CSA. This disconnect was more pronounced for women who were abused by a family member. CONCLUSION: CSA status serves as an important moderator of the association between sexual functioning and sexual distress in women. Specifically, women with a history of CSA show higher levels of distress in the context of good sexual functioning as compared to women without a history of CSA. Possible explanations and clinical implications are discussed.

Language: en