title: The effects of child sexual abuse in later family life; mental health, parenting and adjustment of offspring.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate links between child sexual abuse (occurring before 13 years), later mental health, family organization, parenting behaviors, and adjustment in offspring.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study investigates a subsample of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children an ongoing study of women and their families in the area of Avon, England. A sample of 8292 families met inclusion criteria for identifiable family type and completed self-report data on prior sexual assault. Further data were collected on life course variables, socioeconomic variables, psychological well-being, relationship quality, parent-child relationship quality, and children's adjustment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment for other childhood adversity, prior child sexual abuse was associated with a range of outcomes in adulthood, including current membership of a nontraditional family type (single mother and stepfather) poorer psychological well-being, teenage pregnancy, parenting behaviors, and adjustment problems in the victim's later offspring. The relationship of child sexual abuse with aspects of the parent-child relationship in later life and with the offspring's adjustment difficulties were mediated in part by mother's mental health--chiefly anxiety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings indicate that child sexual abuse has long-term repercussions for adult mental health, parenting relationships, and child adjustment in the succeeding generation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Kingston University, Kingston, Surrey KT1 2EE, UK.
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Golding
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016487:Parenting; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence; D012649:Self Concept; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*