Adult Mental Health Sequels of Child Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse and Neglect in Maternally Separated Children

Abstract

A follow-up study is reported of the mental health and psychosexual adjustment in young adulthood of 57 girls who were removed from home in childhood by Social Service agencies because of abuse, neglect or family breakdown. Twenty of the girls had experienced sexual abuse within the family context before the age of 14. The 57 maternally separated girls were compared with 30 girls who had experienced non-disrupted childhood. Multiple regression analysis showed that early sexual abuse explained more of the variance in adult adjustment than either physical abuse and neglect, or maternal separation. It is concluded that, subject to the limits of the sample, early sexual abuse within the family has severe long-term implications for mental health in adulthood unless appropriate therapeutic intervention is offered. Combinations of sexual abuse with physical abuse or neglect commenced early in the child's life, have particularly adverse outcomes.