title: Prevalence and overlap of childhood and adult physical, sexual, and emotional abuse: a descriptive analysis of results from the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) survey.
abstract: Abuse is associated with a wide variety of health problems, yet comprehensive population-based data are scant. Existing literature focuses on a single type of abuse, population, or lifestage. Using a racially/ethnically diverse community-based sample, we document the prevalence of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by lifestage and gender, assess variation in abuse by sociodemographics; establish overlap of abuses; and examine childhood abuse relationships with abuse in adulthood. Prevalence of abuse ranges from 15% to 27%; women report more adulthood emotional abuse and lifetime sexual abuse than men; reports of abuse can vary by race/ethnicity and poverty status, particularly in women; there is overlap between types of abuse; and a history of childhood abuse is associated with a greater risk of abuse as an adult.
authors.affiliation: New England Research Institutes, Watertown, MA 02472, USA. gchiu@neriscience.com
authors.forename: Gretchen R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Lutfey
authors.forename: Heather J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Litman
authors.forename: Carol L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Link
authors.forename: Susan A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: McKinlay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001900:Boston; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*