Abstract
A robust literature links childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to later substance use and sexual risk behavior; yet, relatively little
empirical attention has been devoted to identifying the mechanisms linking CSA to risky behavior among youth, with even less
work examining such processes in boys. With the aim of addressing this gap in the literature, the current study examined the
indirect effect of childhood sexual abuse (CSA; from age 2 to 12) trajectory group on risky behavior at age 14 (alcohol use
& sexual intercourse) via the intervening role of caregiver-reported internalizing and externalizing problems at age 12. Analyses
were conducted with a subsample of youth (n = 657 sexual intercourse; n = 667 alcohol use) from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), a multisite prospective study of
youth at risk for maltreatment. For boys and girls, there was an indirect effect from CSA to sexual intercourse through externalizing problems. The same pattern emerged
for alcohol use, but only for girls. Findings did not support an indirect path through internalizing problems for either boys
or girls for either outcome. Findings suggest more focal targets for prevention efforts aimed at maintaining the health and
safety of maltreated boys and girls during the adolescent transition.
empirical attention has been devoted to identifying the mechanisms linking CSA to risky behavior among youth, with even less
work examining such processes in boys. With the aim of addressing this gap in the literature, the current study examined the
indirect effect of childhood sexual abuse (CSA; from age 2 to 12) trajectory group on risky behavior at age 14 (alcohol use
& sexual intercourse) via the intervening role of caregiver-reported internalizing and externalizing problems at age 12. Analyses
were conducted with a subsample of youth (n = 657 sexual intercourse; n = 667 alcohol use) from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), a multisite prospective study of
youth at risk for maltreatment. For boys and girls, there was an indirect effect from CSA to sexual intercourse through externalizing problems. The same pattern emerged
for alcohol use, but only for girls. Findings did not support an indirect path through internalizing problems for either boys
or girls for either outcome. Findings suggest more focal targets for prevention efforts aimed at maintaining the health and
safety of maltreated boys and girls during the adolescent transition.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-12
- DOI 10.1007/s10802-012-9656-1
- Authors
- Deborah J. Jones, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Terri Lewis, Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Alan Litrownik, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Richard Thompson, Juvenile Protective Association, Chicago, IL, USA
- Laura J. Proctor, Judge Baker Children’s Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Patricia Isbell, Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Howard Dubowitz, Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Diana English, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Bobby Jones, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Daniel Nagin, Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Desmond Runyan, Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA
- Journal Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
- Online ISSN 1573-2835
- Print ISSN 0091-0627