Sexual Contact in Childhood, Revictimization, and Lifetime Sexual and Psychological Outcomes

Using data from the 2010 to 2011 wave of the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project-a nationally representative probability sample of older U.S. adults-this study queried distinctive linkages of mild and of severe childhood sexual contact with lifetime sexual and psychological outcomes among women and men aged 60-99 years (N = 3283). 

In addition, we examined stratification of these associations by sexual revictimization (forced sex and/or harassment). Among women, sequelae of childhood contact seemed consistently negative for the mild rather than severe variant-but only in the co-presence of revictimization-a pattern that may have remained obscured in previous analysis of event effects. 

Men's results suggested lifelong eroticizing but not psychological effects of this early experience-with the co-presence of revictimization potentially enhancing rather than lowering their mental health. 

Overall, findings appeared to reflect gendered patterns of risk-with mild childhood contact potentially channeling women but not men into revictimization and finally to elevated sexuality and poor mental health in late life. 

Early sexual experiences should thus be conceptualized not as singular events, but as part of a lifelong career with regularities and rhythms that may influence their pathogenic potential.

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By:  Das A1,2, Otis N3.

• 1Department of Sociology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2T7, Canada. aniruddha.das@mcgill.ca.
• 2Department of Sociology, McGill University, Room 712, Leacock Building, 855 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H3A 2T7, Canada. aniruddha.das@mcgill.ca.
• 3Department of Sociology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H3A 2T7, Canada. 

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Blackout Drinking Predicts Sexual Revictimization in a College Sample of Binge-Drinking Women

Sexual victimization is prevalent on U.S. college campuses. Some women experience multiple sexual victimizations with heightened risk among those with prior victimization histories. One risk factor for sexual revictimization is alcohol use. 

Most research has focused on associations between alcohol consumption and revictimization. The current study's objective was to understand potential mechanisms by which drinking confers risk for revictimization. We hypothesized that specific drinking consequences would predict risk for revictimization above and beyond the quantity of alcohol consumed. 

There were 162 binge-drinking female students (mean age = 20.21 years, 71.3% White, 36.9% juniors) from the University of Washington who were assessed for baseline victimization (categorized as childhood vs. adolescent victimization), quantity of alcohol consumed, and drinking consequences experienced, then assessed 30 days later for revictimization. 

There were 40 (24.6%) women who were revictimized in the following 30 days. Results showed that blackout drinking at baseline predicted incapacitated sexual revictimization among women previously victimized as adolescents, after accounting for quantity of alcohol consumed. Other drinking consequences were not strongly predictive of revictimization. 

Adolescent sexual victimization was an important predictor of sexual revictimization in college women; blackout drinking may confer unique risk for revictimization.

Below:  Probability of incapacitated sexual revictimization at high and low levels of blackout drinking for a sample of undergraduate binge-drinking women with and without previous adolescent sexual victimization only at baseline.

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/UwosbV

By: Valenstein-Mah H1, Larimer M2, Zoellner L1, Kaysen D2.

• 1Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
• 2Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.  

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Sexual Revictimization, PTSD & Problem Drinking in Sexual Assault Survivors

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and problem drinking are common and often co-occurring sequelae experienced by women survivors of adult sexual assault, yet revictimization may mediate risk of symptoms over time. Structural equation modeling was used to examine data from a 3-wave panel design with a large (N=1012), ethnically diverse sample of women assault survivors to examine whether repeated sexual victimization related to greater PTSD and problem drinking. 

Structural equation modeling revealed that child sexual abuse was associated with greater symptoms of PTSD and problem drinking and intervening sexual victimization was associated with greater symptoms of PTSD and problem drinking at both 1 and 2 year follow-ups. 

We found no evidence, however, that PTSD directly influenced problem drinking over the long term or vice versa, although they were correlated at each timepoint. Revictimization during the study predicted survivors' prospective PTSD and problem drinking symptoms inconsistently. 

Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/MBEYOx

By: Ullman SE1.

• 1University of Illinois at Chicago, 1007 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL 60607-7140, United States. Electronic address: seullman@uic.edu.  

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