There is a well-established relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual functioning. Couples that include a partner who is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse are at increased risk for a wide variety of relationship problems that accompany or result in unsatisfying or dysfunctional sexual relationships. Couples’ therapists need an understanding of the long-term impact of such trauma as well as knowledge about specific interventions that might minimize the potentially damaging effects on significant intimate relationships.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alexander, P. (1992). Application of attachment theory to the study of sexual abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 185-195.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
3.
Ballard, M. B., & Alessi, H. D. (2002). Counseling sexual abuse and rape victims. In L. D. Burlew & D. Capuzzi (Eds.), Sexuality counseling (pp. 307-326). Hauppauge, NY: Nova.
4.
Barnes, M. F. (1995). Sex therapy in the couples context: Therapy issues of victims of sexual trauma. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 23, 351-360.
5.
Berliner, L., & Conte, J. R. (1990). The process of victimization: The victims’ perspective. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15, 537-556.
6.
Brassil, D. F., & Keller, M. (2002). Female sexual dysfunction: Definition, causes, and treatment. Urologic Nursing, 22, 237-244.
7.
Briere, J. (1989). Therapy for adults molested as children: Beyond survival. New York: Springer.
8.
Briere, J., & Runtz, M. (1988). Post sexual abuse trauma. In G. E. Wyatt & G. J. Powell (Eds.), Lasting effects of child sexual abuse (pp. 85-100). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
9.
Compton, J. S., & Follette, V. M. (1998). Couples surviving trauma: Issues and interventions. In V. M. Follette, J. I. Ruzek, & F. R. Abueg (Eds.), Cognitive-behavioral therapies for trauma (pp. 321-352). New York: Guilford.
10.
Courtois, C. (1979). The incest experience and its aftermath. Victimology, 4, 337-347.
11.
DiLillo, D. (2001). Interpersonal functioning among women reporting a history of childhood sexual abuse: Empirical findings and methodological issues. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 553-576.
12.
DiLillo, D., & Long, P. J. (1999). Perceptions of couple functioning among female survivors of child sexual abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 7, 59-76.
13.
Elmone, P., & Lingg, M. A. (1996). Adult survivors of sexual trauma: A conceptualization for treatment. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 18, 108-123.
14.
Finkelhor, D. (1988). The trauma of child sexual abuse: Two models. In G. E. Wyatt & G. J. Powell (Eds.), Lasting effects of child sexual abuse (pp. 61-82). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
15.
Hunter, J. A. (1991). A comparison of the psychosocial maladjustment of adult males and females sexually abused as children. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 6, 205-217.
16.
Kinzl, J. F., Traweger, C., & Biebl, W. (1995). Sexual dysfunctions: Relationship to childhood sexual abuse and early family experiences in a nonclinical sample. Child Abuse and Neglect, 19, 785-792.
17.
Leonard, L. M., & Follette, V. M. (2002). Sexual functioning in women reporting a history of child sexual abuse: Review of the empirical literature and clinical implications. Annual Review of Sex Research, 13, 346-389.
18.
Loeb, T. B., Williams, J. K., Carmona, J. V., Rivkin, I., Wyatt, G. E., Chin, D., et al. (2002). Child sexual abuse: Associations with the sexual functioning of adolescents and adults. In G. M. Wingood & R. J. DiClemente (Eds.), Handbook of women’s sexual and reproductive health: Issues in women health (pp. 307-345). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
19.
Mullen, P. E., Martin, J. L., Anderson, J. C., Romans, S. E., & Herbison, G. P. (1994). The effect of child sexual abuse on social, interpersonal, and sexual function in adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 35-47.
20.
Noll, J. G., Trickett, P. K., & Putnam, F. W. (2003). A prospective investigation of the impact of childhood sexual abuse on the development of sexuality. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71, 575-586.
21.
Polusny, M. M., & Follette, V. M. (1995). Long-term correlates of childhood sexual abuse: Theory and empirical findings. Applied and Preventative Psychology, 4, 143-166.
22.
Reeves, R. H., Beltzman, D., & Killu, K. (2000). Implications of traumatic brain injury for survivors of sexual abuse: A preliminary report of findings. Rehabilitation Psychology, 45, 205-211.
23.
Roland, C. B. (2002). Counseling adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. In L. D. Burlew & D. Capuzzi (Eds.), Sexuality counseling (pp. 283-306). Hauppauge, NY: Nova.
24.
Rumstein-McKean, O., & Hunsley, J. (2001). Interpersonal and family functioning of female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 471-490.
25.
Sarwer, D. B., & Durlak, J. A. (1996). Childhood sexual abuse as a predictor of adult female sexual dysfunction: A study of couples seeking sex therapy. Child Abuse and Neglect, 20, 963-972.
26.
Spaccarelli, S. (1994). Stress, appraisal, and coping in child sexual abuse: A theoretical and empirical review. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 340-362.
27.
Sprei, J. E., & Courtois, C. A. (1988). The treatment of women’s sexual dysfunctions arising from sexual assault. In R. A. Brown & J. R. Field (Eds.), Treatment of sexual problems in individual and couples therapy (pp. 267-300). New York: PMA Publishing Corporation.
28.
Wyatt, G., & Newcomb, M. (1990). Internal and external mediators of women’s sexual abuse in childhood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 58, 758-767.
29.
Wyatt, G. E., & Powell, G. J. (1988). Identifying the lasting effects of child sexual abuse: An overview. In G. E. Wyatt & G. J. Powell (Eds.), Lasting effects of child sexual abuse (pp. 11-18). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
