Psychological defense styles in women who report childhood sexual abuse : a controlled community study Romans, Sarah E.; Martin, Judy; Morris, Eleanor M.; Herbison, G. P.
Material type:
- 0002-953X
The American Journal of Psychiatry 156(7) July 1999 : 1080-1085
This paper examines the psychological defense styles of women who have been sexually abused as children compared to women with no history of childhood sexual abuse. The data was collected in 1995 in a follow-up study to the Otago Women's Health Survey, which investigated the adult effects of childhood sexual abuse in a community sample of women. A total of 354 women were re-interviewed and completed the Defense Style Questionnaire and the Dissociative Experiences Scale. Results indicate immature defense styles are more apparent in those women reporting childhood sexual abuse, and those who experienced the most severe childhood sexual abuse showed the most immature styles. It was found dissociation was not linked to childhood sexual abuse. The authors conclude that coping styles are likely to be an important mechanism through which childhood sexual abuse affects rates of later psychological problems.
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