The relationship of perceptions of childhood sexual abuse with adult personal relationships in female clients of a university counseling center

Perceptions of early childhood sexual experiences, adult attachment, social integration, and trauma symptomatology were assessed with 111 female clients of a University Counseling Center. Of these clients, 71 recalled a history of sexual abuse and 40 indicated no sexual abuse in their childhoods. Results indicated that there were no significant differences between the two groups on the attachment and social integration variables. Examination of the trauma symptomatology variables indicated that the group indicating sexual abuse scored higher on Post-sexual Abuse Trauma-hypothesized and Sexual Problems than the no-abuse group when controlling for the mother\u27s psychological maltreatment during childhood. Results were mixed when analyzing the results according to the familial closeness of the alleged sexual perpetrator. Comparing four groups (Intrafamilial Abuse Only, Extrafamilial Abuse Only, Intrafamilial and Extrafamilial Abuse, and No Abuse), there were no significant differences between the groups on any of the dependent variables. Using independent predictor variables to predict adult attachment, social integration, and trauma symptomatology, it was found that the incidence of Nuclear Family Sexual Abuse weakly predicted the Adequacy of Attachment, total Trauma Symptom Checklist scores, Dissociation, Anxiety, and Post-sexual Abuse Trauma-hypothesized. An indication of psychological maltreatment by the mother in childhood weakly predicted total Trauma Symptom Checklist scores, Dissociation, Anxiety, and Depression. The results suggest that several variables predict adult attachment, social integration, and trauma symptomatology, including recollections of sexual abuse, nuclear family abuse, and other childhood maltreatment