title: Childhood sexual abuse severity and disclosure predict posttraumatic stress symptoms and biomarkers in ethnic minority women.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90024-1759, USA. dglover@mednet.ucla.edu
authors.forename: Dorie A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Glover
authors.forename: Tamra Burns
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Loeb
authors.forename: Jennifer Vargas
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Carmona
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sciolla
authors.forename: Muyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Hector F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Myers
authors.forename: Gail E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Wyatt
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers