title: Emotional and Sexual Correlates of Child Sexual Abuse as a Function of Self-Definition Status.
abstract: Among individuals defined as having been sexually abused based on legal criteria, some will self-report having been abused and some will not. Yet, the empirical correlates of self-definition status are not well studied. Different definitions of abuse may lead to varying prevalence rates and contradictory findings regarding psychological outcomes. The present study examined whether, among legally defined sexual abuse survivors, identifying oneself as having experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA) was associated with more severe abuse, negative emotional reactions toward the abuse, and current sexual reactions. A convenience sample of 1,021 French-speaking Canadians completed self-report questionnaires online. The prevalence of legally defined CSA was 21.3% in women and 19.6% in men, as compared to 7.1% in women and 3.8% in men for self-defined CSA. Among legally defined sexual abuse survivors, those who identified themselves as CSA survivors had been abused more frequently, were more likely to report a male aggressor, and more often described abuse by a parental figure than those who did not self-identify as abused. Further, self-defined CSA was associated with more negative postabuse reactions and sexual avoidance, whereas those not identifying as sexually abused were more likely to report sexual compulsion.
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada, and Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Marie-Pier
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Vaillancourt-Morel
authors.affiliation: Département de sexologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, Quebec, Canada, and Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Quebec, Canada godbout.natacha@uqam.ca.
authors.forename: Natacha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Godbout
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada, and Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Maryline Germain
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bédard
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada, and Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Émilie
authors.initials: É
authors.lastname: Charest
authors.affiliation: Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Briere
authors.affiliation: École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Quebec, Canada, and Research Centre on Intimate Relationship Problems and Sexual Abuse (CRIPCAS), Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabourin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012649:Self Concept; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: childhood sexual abuse; legal definition; self-definition; sexual avoidance; sexual compulsivity