Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Survivors of Childhood Sexual and Physical Abuse: A Critical Review of the Empirical Research

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, the authors review 33 empirical studies investigating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). In many of these studies, researchers also examined the impact of the co-occurring trauma of childhood physical abuse (CPA) in regard to PTSD symptoms. Methodological issues addressed in the review include definition and measurement of both CSA and CPA, assessment of PTSD, and additional aspects of experimental design. In this review, the authors explore the importance of the empirical investigation of the relationship between the level of trauma exposure (e.g., seventy and duration of trauma), and the level of PTSD symptoms. Suggestions for future research are proposed. Since a given survivor may often experience additional types of traumatic events across his or her lifetime, the utility of adopting a multiple-trauma perspective in understanding the impact of stressful life events across the lifespan is explored.