title: [Factors for sexual abuse during childhood and adolescence in students of Morelos, Mexico].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study conducted in a sample of students in the state of Morelos, Mexico, in 2004-2005. Participants (n=1730) were drawn from a cohort of 13,293 students aged 12 to 24 years. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire comprising parts of validated scales. The variables studied were: sociodemographic (gender, living area, socioeconomic status), family (parental education, parental addictions, violence between parents), individual psychological factors (self-esteem assessed using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, depression, alcohol consumption), intrafamily violence (assessed through Strauss Scale) and sexual abuse. Multiple logistic regression assessed the risk factors associated. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals were estimated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of all students studied, 4.7% (n=80) reported attempted sexual abuse and 2.9% (n=50) were victims of consummated sexual abuse. Women had higher prevalence of attempted (6.1%) abuse; 3.6% of females and 1.9% of men were sexually abused. Main perpetrators were boyfriends in women and a stranger in men. Mean age was 12.02 years old among females and 11.71 years old among men. Factors found to be associated with abuse: high parental alcohol consumption (OR = 3.37, 95% CI 1.40;8.07), violence toward the mother (OR = 4.49, 95% CI 1.54;13.10), female gender (OR = 2.47, 95% CI 1.17;5.24), being a victim of great domestic violence (OR = 3.58, 95% CI 1.32;9.67). High self-esteem was a protective factor (OR = 0.27, 95% CI 0.09;0.75).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall sexual abuse occurs at the age of 12 in both males and females, and it is more frequent among females. Most victims do not report abuse.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chavez Ayala
authors.forename: Leonor
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rivera-Rivera
authors.forename: Angélica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Angeles-Llerenas
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Díaz-Cerón
authors.forename: Betania
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Allen-Leigh
authors.forename: Eduardo Lazcano
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Ponce
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003710:Demography; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students; D055815:Young Adult