Correlates of childhood sexual abuse and intimate partner sexual victimization

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among Chinese university students in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai. It used a cross-sectional design. To complete a self-report questionnaire, 3,388 university students from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai were recruited through convenience sampling. The results showed that 28.6% of participants experienced some form of CSA, and no gender difference was found in the prevalence of CSA. Significantly, more female have been reported being victims of sexual IPV than male (24.2% vs. 18.2%); however, when considering severe sexual victimization only, females did not report higher prevalence than men did. Results of the multiphase logistic regression showed that CSA had an independent association with an increased risk of sexual IPV victimization during adulthood. In addition, gender, having had sex with the partner of the referred intimate relationship, and current posttraumatic stress symptoms were associated with sexual IPV victimization when other factors were adjusted. Conclusion: Intervention with IPV should include an assessment of CSA history. Prevention of revictimization for IPV victims with CSA history was discussed.