Recent studies indicate that children receive considerable amounts of unwanted attention to their sexuality and appearance. This investigation explored the association between childhood unwanted sexual attention (UWSA) and current self-concept in 448 young women. The frequency of childhood UWSA was associated with poorer academic self-esteem, physical appearance self-esteem, global self-esteem, body image, and body anxiety, after controlling for child sexual abuse. Next, the role of negative emotional reactions to UWSA was explored as a potential moderator between UWSA and impact. It was hypothesized that stronger negative reactions to UWSA would increase the relationship between UWSA and poor self-concept. However, results did not support the moderating role of emotional reactions for the majority of self-concept scores. Overall findings suggest that the objective experience of childhood UWSA is damaging to women's self-esteem and body image, regardless of the subjective reactions women have to the behaviors.
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