Child Sexual Abuse and Number of Sexual Partners in Young Women: The Role of Abuse Severity Coping Style and Sexual Functioning

摘要

Theory and research suggest that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may lead to either avoidance of sex or compulsive sexual behavior. We proposed and tested a model that specified different pathways through which these divergent outcomes may occur. CSA victims who used avoidant strategies to cope with abuse were expected to display higher levels of sexual problems and to have fewer sex partners as adults. In contrast, CSA victims who used self-destructive strategies to cope with abuse were expected to display more dysfunctional sexual behavior and to report a higher number of sex partners as adults. Predictions were tested using data from a sample of female U.S. Navy recruits who reported CSA experiences (N = 547). As expected, the results indicated that the effects of CSA on number of sex partners were largely mediated by coping strategy and dysfunctional sexual behavior.