Childhood Sexual Abuse and Medical Complaints in Adult Women

Abstract

The previously noted association between a history of childhood sexual abuse and an unusual number of medical complaints in adult women was examined in this study. In total, 60 women, 27 of whom had and 33 of whom had not been sexually abused as children, completed questionnaire measures of their medical complaints. Results revealed that the women with a history of sexual abuse had significantly more frequent complaints of a variety of medical problems, some of which, such as pelvic pain, have been noted in previous literature, and some of which, such as asthma, represent new findings.