Childhood sexual abuse severity and disclosure predict posttraumatic stress symptoms and biomarkers in ethnic minority women.
OBJECTIVE
Adult posttraumatic stress symptoms and a biomarker index of current health risk in childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors were investigated in relation to CSA severity, disclosure, and other peri- and post-trauma factors.


METHODS
A community sample of 94 African American and Latina female CSA survivors was assessed.


RESULTS
Severe CSA predicted posttraumatic stress symptoms overall, avoidance/numbing symptoms, and greater biomarker risk and was not mediated by post-trauma variables. Moderate CSA severity was mediated by post-trauma disclosure, predicted reexperiencing symptoms, but was unrelated to biomarker risk. No overall ethnic differences were found.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest targets for interventions to improve the well-being of minority women CSA survivors.
Glover
Dorie A
DA
Semel Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024-1759, USA. dglover@mednet.ucla.edu
Loeb
Tamra Burns
TB
Carmona
Jennifer Vargas
JV
Sciolla
Andres
A
Zhang
Muyu
M
Myers
Hector F
HF
Wyatt
Gail E
GE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016014:Linear Models; D015141:Los Angeles; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012650:Self Disclosure; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices
D015415:Biomarkers