Psychopathology and History of Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventories (MMPI-1) were used to compare the personality characteristics of a sexually abused ( n = 105) and a matched nonabused sample of clinic patients ( n = 105). Sexual abuse survivors were more frequently characterized by higher scores on the Psychopathic Deviate (4) and Schizophrenia (8) scales, likely representing high levels of interpersonal discord and social alienation. Within the sexually abused sample, more psychopathology was associated with male-to-male abuse, and more social discomfort was evident with abuse onset between ages 6-11 years. The results are discussed in terms of attributional processes associated with the abuse experience and implications for future research.