History of past sexual abuse in married observant Jewish women.
OBJECTIVE
The authors examined instances of past sexual abuse and related demographic characteristics in the self-reports of a select group of married observant Jewish women.


METHODS
Orthodox Jewish married women (N=380) ages 19 to 58 responded to advertisements asking them to complete an anonymous questionnaire about sexual experiences, including sexual abuse.


RESULTS
Sexual abuse was reported by 26% of the respondents surveyed, with 16% reporting abuse occurring by the age of 13. More ultra-Orthodox Jews reported abuse than modern-Orthodox Jews. Women who were raised observant reported significantly less childhood sexual abuse than those who became observant later in life. Sexual abuse was associated with increased treatment-seeking for depression, marital counseling, or other emotional or psychological problems.


CONCLUSIONS
While observant Jewish women live in a culture defined by a high degree of adherence to specific laws of conduct, including rules designed to regulate sexual contact, sexual abuse of various types still exists among them.
Yehuda
Rachel
R
Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. rachel.yehuda@va.gov
Friedman
Michelle
M
Rosenbaum
Talli Y
TY
Labinsky
Ellen
E
Schmeidler
James
J
D000328:Adult; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007585:Jews / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007599:Judaism / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D015995:Prevalence; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires