Differences in childhood sexual abuse (CSA) between Black women and White women are explored in a community sample of 290 women raised in two-parent families.A selfadministered questionnaire and a face-to-face interview assessed CSA characteristics, aftermath, and prevalence as well as family structure and other childhood variables. Siblings served as collateral informants for the occurrence of CSA. Overall, comparisons of the nature, severity, and aftermath of CSA showed similarities by race; some differences, for example, in age of onset, are potentially relevant for the planning of prevention programs. Logistic regression models examined effects of childhood variables on CSA prevalence. Initial analyses showed a higher CSA prevalence among Black women (34.1% [45] of Black women vs. 22.8% [36] of White women) that was attenuated when family structure (e.g., living with two biological parents throughout childhood or not) and social class were considered. Of interest, differences in family structure remained important even among these two-parent families. Understanding the dynamics of abuse by race and family structure will facilitate the design of more targeted CSA prevention programs.
Abney, V. D., & Priest, R. (1995). African Americans and sexual child abuse. In L. A. Fontes (Ed.), Sexual abuse in nine North American cultures: Treatment and prevention (pp. 11-30). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
2.
Bagley, C., & Ramsay, R. (1986). Sexual abuse in childhood: Psychosocial outcomes and implications for social work practice. Journal of Social Work and Human Sexuality, 4, 33-47.
3.
Bolen, R. M. (1998). Predicting risk to be sexually abused: A comparison of logistic regression to event history analysis. Child Maltreatment, 3(2), 157-170.
4.
Clay, C. M., Ellis, M. A., Amodeo, M., Fassler, I., & Griffin, M. L. (2003). Recruiting a community sample of African American subjects: The nuts and bolts of a successful effort. Families in Society, 84, 396-404.
5.
Crosby, G. M., Stall, R. D., Paul, J. P., Barrett, D. C., & Midanik, L. T. (1996). Condom use among gay/bisexual male substance abusers using the timeline follow-back method. Addictive Behaviors, 21, 249-257.
6.
Finkelhor, D. (1979). Sexually victimized children. New York: Free Press.
7.
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I. A., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of adult men and women: Prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors. Child Abuse and Neglect, 14, 19-28.
8.
Fontes, L. A., Cruz, M., & Tabachnick, J. (2001). Views of child sexual abuse in two cultural communities: An exploratory study among African Americans and Latinos. Child Maltreatment, 6(2), 103-117.
9.
Glick, P. (1997). Demographic pictures of African American families. In H. P. McAdoo (Ed.), Black families(pp. 118-138). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
10.
Grant, B. F. (2000). Estimates of U.S. children exposed to alcohol abuse and dependence in the family. American Journal of Public Health, 90, 112-115.
11.
Griffin, M. L., Amodeo, M., Fassler, I., Ellis, M., & Clay, C. (2005). Mediating factors for the long-term effects of parental alcoholism in women: The contribution of other childhood stresses and resources. American Journal on Addictions, 14, 18-34.
12.
Howes, J. L., & Katz, A. N. (1992). Remote memory: Recalling autobiographical and public events from across the lifespan. Canadian Journal of Psychology, 46, 92-116.
13.
Jacobson, A., & Richardson, B. (1987). Assault experiences of 100 psychiatric inpatients: Evidence of the need for routine inquiry. American Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 908-913.
14.
Jasinski, J. L., Williams, L. M., & Siegel, J. (2000). Childhood physical and sexual abuse as risk factors for heavy drinking among African American women: A prospective study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24(8), 1061-1071.
15.
Kenny, M. C., & McEachern, A. G. (2000). Racial, ethnic, and cultural factors of childhood sexual abuse: A selected review of the literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 20(7), 905-922.
16.
Liem, J. H., James, J. B., O'Toole, J. G., & Boudewyne, A. C. (1997). Assessing resilience in adults with histories of childhood sexual abuse. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67(4), 594-606.
17.
Marcenko, M. O., Kemp, S. P., & Larson, N. C. (2000). Childhood experiences of abuse, later substance use, and parenting outcomes among low-income mothers. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70(3), 316-326.
18.
Mennen, F. E. (1995). The relationship of race/ethnicity to symptoms in childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 10(1), 115-124.
19.
Molnar, B. E., Buka, S. L., & Kessler, R. C. (2001). Child sexual abuse and subsequent psychopathology: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey. American Journal of Public Health, 91(5), 753-760.
20.
Neville, H. A., & Pugh, A. O. (1997). General and culture-specific factors influencing African American Women's reporting patterns and perceived social support following sexual assault. Violence Against Women, 3(4), 361-381.
21.
Peters, S. D. (1988). Child sexual abuse and later psychological problems. In G. E. Wyatt & G. S. Powell (Eds.), Lasting effects of child sexual abuse (pp. 101-117). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
22.
Peters, S. D., Wyatt, G. E., & Finkelhor, D. (1986). Prevalence. In D. Finkelhor and S. Araji (Eds.), A sourcebook on child sexual abuse(pp. 15-60). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
23.
Priest, R. (1992). Child sexual abuse histories among African American college students: A preliminary study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 62(3), 475-476.
24.
Russell, D.E.H. (1983). The incidence and prevalence of intrafamilial and extrafamilial sexual abuse of female children. Child Abuse and Neglect, 7, 133-146.
25.
Russell, D.E.H. (1986). The secret trauma: Incest in the lives of girls and women. New York: Basic Books.
26.
Russell, D.E.H., Schurman, R. A., & Trocki, K. (1988). The longterm effects of incestuous abuse: A comparison of AfroAmerican and White American victims. In G. E. Wyatt & G. J. Powell (Eds.), Lasting effects of child sexual abuse (pp. 119-134). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
27.
Sobell, L. S., & Sobell, M. B. (1992). Timeline follow-back: A technique for assessing self-reported alcohol consumption. In R. Z. Litten & J. P. Allen (Eds.), Measuring alcohol consumption: Psychosocial and biochemical methods(pp. 41-72). Totowa, NJ: Humana.
28.
Stack, C. (1974). All our kin: Strategies for survival in a Black community. New York: Harper & Row.
29.
Stata Corporation (2003). Stata statistical software: Release 8.0. College Station, TX: Author.
30.
Tzeng, O. C., & Schwarzin, H. J. (1990). Gender and race differences in child sexual abuse correlates. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 14, 135-161.
31.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1999). Marital status and living arrangements: March 1998 (Update). Current population reports, Series P20-514. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/ms-la/tabch-3.txt
32.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (2000). Census 2000 redistricting data (Public law 94-171). Summary file, Matrices PL1, PL2, PL3, and PL4. Washington, DC: Author.
33.
Wilsnack, S. C., Vogeltanz, N. D., Klassen, A. D., & Harris, T. R. (1997). Childhood sexual abuse and women's substance abuse: National survey findings. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 58, 264-271.
34.
Windle, M., Windle, R. C., Scheidt, D. M., & Miller, G. B. (1995). Physical and sexual abuse and associated mental disorders among alcoholic inpatients. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152(9), 1322-1328.
35.
Wonderlich, S. A., Wilsnack, R. W., Wilsnack, S. C., & Harris, T. R. (1996). Childhood sexual abuse and bulimic behavior in a nationally representative sample. American Journal of Public Health, 86(8), 1082-1086.
36.
Wyatt, G. E. (1985). The sexual abuse of Afro-American and White American women in childhood. Child Abuse and Neglect, 9, 507-519.
37.
Wyatt, G. E. (1990). The aftermath of child sexual abuse of African American and White women: The victim's experience. Journal of Family Violence, 5(1), 61-81.
38.
Wyatt, G. E. (1992). The sociocultural context of African American and White American women's rape. Journal of Social Issues, 48(1), 77-91.
39.
Wyatt, G. E., Loeb, T. B., Solis, B., Carmona, J. V., & Romero, G. (1999). The prevalence and circumstances of child sexual abuse: Changes across a decade. Child Abuse and Neglect, 23(1), 45-60.
40.
Wyatt, G. E., & Mickey, M. R. (1988). Ameliorating the effects of child sexual abuse: An exploratory study of support by parents and others. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2(1), 403-414.
