HARASSED BODIES

The present study examined the relationships among sexual harassment and body image and eating disturbances using a sample of 195 undergraduate women. Sexual harassment was associated with a variety of eating disorder symptoms, even when controlling for experiences of sexual abuse/assault and physical abuse. Whereas sexual abuse/assault and physical abuse appear to be nonspecific risk factors for such symptoms, sexual harassment was more closely associated with eating disorder symptomatology than other types of psychological distress. The results of structural equation modeling better supported a model in which body image and eating disturbances were outcomes rather than antecedents of sexual harassment. Finally, several analyses indicated that disordered eating may function as a way to cope with the negative emotions associated with sexual harassment.     

Victimization of Lesbian,Gay, and Bisexual People in Childhood: Associations with Attempted Suicide

Higher rates of attempted suicide have been documented among people who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGB) compared with heterosexuals. This study sought to ascertain the association between childhood abuse and neglect and attempted suicide, comparing LGBs and heterosexuals. Childhood sexual abuse among men and childhood sexual and physical abuse among women were found to mediate the association between LGB identity and attempted suicide. The experience of childhood abuse likely plays a significant role in the relationship between LGB identity and attempted suicide, but other factors such as experience of discrimination are also important.     

Body satisfaction, eating disorders and suicide ideation in an Internet sample of self-harmers reporting and not reporting childhood sexual abuse

This study examined differences between self-harmers who had and who had not been sexually abused in childhood with regards to other risk factors and associated behaviours commonly identified in the research literature as being related to self-harm. Participants (N = 113, mean age = 19.92 years) were recruited via self-harm Internet discussion groups and message boards, and completed a web questionnaire assessing measures of body satisfaction, eating disorders, childhood trauma and suicide ideation. Self-harmers who reported a history of childhood sexual abuse scored higher on measures of body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, suicide ideation, physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse and emotional neglect. These findings implicate sexual abuse as a powerful traumatic event that can have severe repercussions on an individual, not only in terms of self-harming behaviour but also in terms of developing a wide range of maladaptive behaviours in conjunction with self-harm.     

Weight-Related Abuse: Impact of Perpetrator-Victim Relationship on Binge Eating and Internalizing Symptoms

Disordered eating and weight problems are associated with experiencing childhood abuse. While weight-related abuse (WRA; teasing and verbal abuse specific to one’s weight) uniquely predicts disordered eating and mood problems in adulthood, the link between WRA and adult outcomes is largely unexplored. Relationships between perpetrators and victims (e.g., family member vs. stranger) have demonstrated an impact on outcomes in research on sexual abuse, and may elucidate important aspects of the relationship between psychopathology and abuse. Thus, we investigated the effect of the perpetrator’s relationship to the victim on disordered eating symptoms in a population of young adults (N = 371) oversampled for current overweight and obesity. Parent perpetration of WRA was the strongest predictor of both depression and abuse-related emotional impact ratings. In contrast, friend and classmate perpetration of WRA were the sole predictors of binge eating and anxiety symptoms, respectively. Results highlight the importance of investigating the impact of multiple types of perpetrators of WRA, as well as the need to examine family and other close relationships in the treatment of disordered eating and internalizing symptoms.     

ANXIETY, ALEXITHYMIA, AND DEPRESSION AS MEDIATORS OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CHILDHOOD ABUSE AND EATING DISORDERED BEHAVIOR IN AFRICAN AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN AMERICAN WOMEN

This study evaluated structural equation models of the associations among family functioning, childhood abuse, depression, anxiety, alexithymia, and eating disorder symptomatology in a sample of 412 European American and 192 African American female undergraduates. Additionally, the specific roles of anxiety, depression, and alexithymia as mediators were assessed. Each of these variables was a significant mediator of the association between childhood abuse and disordered eating. Finally, a test of invariance between the African American and European American subsamples was significant, highlighting the need for additional cross-cultural eating disorder research.     

Testing Posttraumatic Stress as a Mediator of Childhood Trauma and Adult Intimate Partner Violence Victimization

This study examined whether potential posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) mediated the relationships between different forms of childhood trauma (sexual abuse, physical abuse, violence between caregivers) and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization (psychological, physical, sexual). Participants were 1,150 female nurses and nursing personnel. Path analytic findings revealed potential PTSD partially mediated the relationships between childhood sexual abuse and psychological IPV and childhood sexual abuse and sexual IPV. Potential PTSD did not mediate the relationship between other types of childhood trauma and IPV. This study adds to the literature indicating PTSD as a risk factor for revictimization in the form of adult IPV among women. Screening for and treatment of PTSD among female child sexual abuse survivors could prevent future IPV victimization.     

The Association of Child Abuse and Eating Disorder Symptomatology

Abstract

Using self-report questionnaires, symptoms of eating disorders were examined in relation to child sexual (CSA), physical (CPA), and emotional abuse (CEA), and adult rape among 301 college women. CPA and adult rape were associated with fear of fatness and bulimic behavior. CEA, family cohesion and expressiveness, and adult rape were related to difficulties recognizing emotional states and satiety. Individuals who reported multiple forms of child abuse or who were revictimized exhibited the highest levels of symptoms. Revictimized women were more likely to report clinical levels of symptoms compared with individuals reporting adult rape without child abuse or child abuse without adult rape. Findings support the assumption that negative experiences in addition to CSA, such as adult rape and other forms of child abuse, influence eating pathology, and suggest a cumulative impact of abuse.     

Additive impact of childhood emotional,physical, and sexual abuse on suicide attempts among low-income African American women

This study examines the association between exposures to multiple forms of childhood abuse (emotional, physical, sexual) and adult suicidal behavior in a sample of low-income, African American women. We hypothesized a linear relation between childhood abuse and risk for making a suicide attempt, such that the more forms of childhood abuse to which a woman was exposed, the greater her risk would be to make a suicide attempt. Logistic regression analyses revealed that, compared to women who did not report any experiences of childhood abuse, women who experienced one, two, or three forms of abuse were 1.83, 2.29, or 7.75 times more likely to attempt suicide, respectively (all statistically significant). Furthermore, compared to women who reported one or two types of abuse, women who reported all three types of abuse were statistically more likely to attempt suicide. These findings have implications for clinicians working with African American women who report either childhood abuse or exhibit suicidal behavior.     

Gender Differences in Victimization and the Relation to Personality Disorders in Forensic Psychiatry

Gender differences in victimization were retrospectively examined in 218 male and 218 female patients who have been admitted to one of four Dutch forensic psychiatric hospitals between 1984 and 2014. Case files were studied and variables relating to victimization and psychopathology were coded. It was found that the prevalence rates of victimization were higher among female patients than among male patients, both during childhood and adulthood. Childhood sexual abuse was found to be more prevalent among women than men, however, no differences were found for emotional and physical abuse or neglect during childhood. Women with a history of emotional or sexual abuse were significantly more often diagnosed with borderline personality disorder than women without childhood victimization. Men with a history of physical abuse were significantly more often diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder than men without childhood victimization. Clinical and policy implications of this study for forensic practice are discussed.     

False recognition in women reporting recovered memories of sexual abuse

False recognition—the mistaken belief that one has previously encountered a novel item—was examined in four groups of subjects: women reporting recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse, women who believe that they were sexually abused as children but who cannot recall this abuse (the "repressed" group), women who were sexually abused as children and always remembered the abuse, and women with no history of childhood sexual abuse. Subjects were administered a Deese/Roediger-McDermott paradigm. The results suggest that the recovered-memory group was more prone to false recognition than the other groups. In addition, women reporting recovered and repressed memories showed greater reduction in false recognition across study trials than did other subjects, perhaps reflecting strategic changes in performance.     

Sexual trauma and personality: developmental vulnerability and additive effects.

Two types of sexual trauma, sexual abuse in childhood and rape in adulthood, were investigated in terms of possible effects on personality. Four groups of participants were studied: women who had experienced sexual abuse in childhood, women who had experienced rape as adults, women who had experienced both of these sexual traumas, and a control group of women who had experienced no sexual trauma. Personality functioning was assessed using the Dimensional Assessment of Personality Pathology. Groups who had experienced childhood sexual abuse displayed the highest degree of personality disturbance; however, the additive effects of repeated sexual trauma were limited. These findings may reflect the outcome of specific adversity in childhood on the psychobiological constructs underlying personality.     

The Relationship between Intimate Partner Violence and Suicidal Ideation among Young Chinese,Korean, and Vietnamese American Women

ABSTRACT

High depression and suicide rates are critical problems that have a significant impact on the lives of young Asian American women. Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been identified as a predictor of suicidality in general female samples, but no research study has examined the relationship between IPV and suicidality in a sample of 1.5 and second-generation Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese American women. We used data collected from 173 women (aged 18-35 years) who were screened for eligibility to participate in the development and efficacy study of Asian American Women’s Action for Resilience and Empowerment (AWARE). We measured the prevalence of (a) IPV, (b) lifetime suicidal ideation/intent, and (c) childhood abuse and tested the association between IPV and lifetime suicidal ideation/intent among study participants who completed the clinical screening assessments. The results indicated that seven out of 10 women in our sample experienced lifetime suicidal ideation/intent, psychological aggression was the most commonly reported form of IPV during the last six months, followed by sexual coercion, and history of physical and/or sexual partner violence had the most robust association with lifetime suicidal ideation/intent after controlling for demographic factors and childhood abuse. Our study suggests that suicide prevention and intervention programs for young 1.5 and second-generation Asian American women should not only address experiences of childhood abuse, but also incorporate culturally adapted behavioral health approaches to identify and target physical and sexual partner violence. Furthermore, any such programs need to integrate a systemic approach in addressing IPV within the context of various marginalized experiences of Asian American women.     

Childhood trauma and marital outcomes in adulthood

Although existing research suggests that certain childhood traumas such as childhood sexual abuse are associated with interpersonal (e.g., marital) difficulties in adulthood, there has been limited research on interpersonal sequelae of other types of traumas. In addition, the association between childhood traumas and interpersonal outcomes has often been limited to a particular outcome such as divorce, and existing studies have rarely controlled for the co‐occurrence of other traumas when evaluating interpersonal outcomes. The current study sought to evaluate the associations between 7 childhood traumas and 2 marital outcomes—marital disruption (i.e., divorce and separation) and marital satisfaction—in a large, national probability sample. Results from univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that (a) probability of marital disruption was higher among people who during childhood had experienced physical abuse, rape, or serious physical attack or assault; and (b) current marital satisfaction was lower among people who during childhood had experienced rape or sexual molestation. Results support the importance of childhood traumas in predicting 2 important marital outcomes.     

Belastungen in der Kindheit und in der Jugend Essgestörter

Depending on definition and sample, a minority of varying size of women with eating disorders report to be victims of sexual and/or physical abuse. These stressful experiences are risk factors for mental disorders in general and not specifically for eating disorders. Parental high expectations and pre-morbid negative self-evaluation seem to be specific risk factors for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Probably, patients with bulimia nervosa suffered more childhood adversity than those with restrictive anorexia nervosa. Patients with a history of sexual and/or physical abuse may be more severely ill and more difficult to treat than other patients with eating disorders. Careful questioning about childhood adversity seems advisable. In therapy, maintaining factors—like problems of self-esteem—are more important than predisposing or precipitating factors. For prevention, it is recommended to provide for the safety of children when treating their parents with mental illness—particularly substance use disorders—and to avoid parental high expectations.     

Further Labeling Within the Category of Disability Due to Chemical Dependency Disorder

This paper raises issues of validity and consequences of appending the label Borderline Personality Disorder to chemically dependent women who are adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Parallels between documented sequelae of childhood sexual abuse and DSM-III-R delineated characteristics of Borderline Personality Disorder are noted as is the DSM-III-R insertion of "No information" with respect to Predisposing factors. This clinician suggests that the label Borderline Personality Disorder and its accompanying assumptions function to generate negative expectations regarding both the course and direction of the therapy process. By failing to consider the impact of childhood abuse this label provides neither appropriate diagnosis nor therapeutic directionfor women with a diagnosis of chemical dependency who are adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.     

Nontraditional sex role aspirations,gender identity conflict,and disordered eating among college women

Many studies point directly to the role played by sex roles and indirectly to the role played by gender identity in the onset of disordered eating. In this study, women who report adhering to nontraditional sex role aspirations are almost twice as likely as other women to report purging or frequent bingeing. Women who exhibit gender identity conflict by drawing a male or androgynous figure on the Draw-A-Person Test or by reporting a pattern of wishing they had been born a male are more likely than other women to report purging or frequent bingeing. The results are consonant with a hypothesis regarding the etiology of disordered eating that implicates gender identity conflicts among women, particularly women who exhibit nontraditional sex role aspirations.     

Childhood abuse as a risk factor for suicidal behavior in borderline personality disorder

A childhood history of sexual or physical abuse is highly prevalent in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and is associated with self-destructive behavior in clinical and nonclinical samples. Viewing BPD as a "high risk" disorder, we asked if childhood abuse was a risk factor for adult suicidal behavior or if it was related to other known risk factors for suicide in BPD. A semistructured Abuse History was obtained in 61 criteria-defined BPD patients, who were characterized by structured interviews and self-reports for Axis I disorders, Suicide History, BPD severity, hopelessness, impulsivity, impulsive-aggression, and antisocial traits. Occurrence and severity of childhood sexual abuse, but not physical abuse, predicted adult suicidal behavior independent of other known risk factors. The odds of a sexually abused patient attempting suicide in adulthood was over 10 times that of a patient who was never sexually abused. Given a history of childhood sexual abuse, the risk of adult suicidal behavior in BPD was increased by antisocial traits, severity of BPD, hopelessness, or comorbid major depressive episode (MDE).     

Emotion Dysregulation and Affective Intensity Mediate the Relationship Between Childhood Abuse and Suicide‐Related Behaviors Among Women with Bulimia Nervosa

Self‐harm and suicide attempts occur at elevated rates among individuals with bulimia nervosa, particularly among those who have experienced childhood abuse. This study investigated the potential mediating roles of emotion dysregulation and affective intensity in the relationship between these variables in 125 women with bulimia nervosa. Analyses revealed that emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between sexual and emotional abuse with both self‐harm and suicide attempts. Negative affective intensity mediated the relationship between abuse and suicide attempts. The findings may advance the understanding of mechanisms underlying suicide‐related behaviors in women with bulimia nervosa who experienced abuse and suggest potential clinical targets.     

Cognitive mediation of childhood maltreatment and adult depression in recent crime victims

Childhood maltreatment has been linked to adult depressive disorders. However, few studies have examined mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment may contribute to adult depression. Thus, we examined the role of one potential mechanism of this relationship, maladaptive cognitions, in a recently traumatized sample. Participants were adult women who had been recently raped (n = 133) or physically assaulted (n = 73). We examined whether maladaptive self-and other-cognitions mediated relationships between childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and current depression. Relationships between childhood sexual abuse and both current depression symptoms and diagnosis were mediated by maladaptive cognitions about self. Relationships between both childhood sexual abuse and childhood physical abuse and adult depressive symptoms were mediated by maladaptive cognitions about others.     

Effects of trauma and religiosity on self-esteem

Self-esteem is often lower among persons who have experienced trauma, but religiosity may ameliorate these psychological effects. The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationships among religiosity, self-esteem, and childhood exposure to trauma, utilizing data from the National Comorbidity Survey, a large (N = 8,098) nationally representative population survey in the 48 contiguous states of the USA that assessed religious practices, self-esteem, and exposure to trauma. Exposure to trauma in childhood was assessed through self-report of presence or absence of childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect. Religiosity was assessed as the sum of responses to 4 self-report items (religious service attendance, use of religion for comfort and guidance, and importance of religion). Self-esteem was assessed on 9 self-report items adapted from the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Analysis of variance compared scores for persons who reported exposure to childhood abuse and differed in the value they placed on various religious practices on self-esteem. Persons who reported physical abuse, sexual abuse, or neglect in childhood had significantly lower mean self-esteem than those who did not report these events. There was also a main effect for religiosity in a comparison of persons who reported childhood sexual abuse with those who reported none. The High Religiosity group had higher mean self-esteem than the Medium and Low Religiosity groups. There was a significant interaction as those who reported childhood sexual abuse had lower mean self-esteem than peers who reported none in the Low and Medium Religiosity groups. Mean self-esteem for those who reported childhood sexual abuse was comparable to that of those who reported none in the High Religiosity group.