This study explores resiliency in adolescent females who reported being physically abused. Employing data from the Search Institute on more than 100,000 adolescent females, this study addressed the following questions: Is a history of physical abuse associated with purging two or more times per week by female adolescents? What factors are associated with a decreased risk of purging among adolescent females who have a history of physical abuse? In addition to addressing these questions, the authors explored the relation between sexual abuse and purging. Both physical abuse and sexual abuse were associated with purging two or more times per week. Physically abused adolescents were less likely to purge two or more times per week if they received high levels of family support and had positive experiences in school. Physically abused adolescents were more likely to engage in purging if they had also been sexually abused.
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