Date of Award

May 2013

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Educational Psychology

First Advisor

Shawn P. Cahill

Committee Members

Anthony A. Hains, Stephen R. Wester

Keywords

Abuse, Childhood Sexual Abuse, Distress, Males, Pathology

Abstract

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is an important issue relatively recently beginning to gain attention from professionals. Studies show that males are underrepresented in the literature, although CSA is a prevalent problem for males as well as females. This study was developed to add to the existing literature on males and CSA, obtain prevalence rates from a nationally representative, epidemiological study, and find correlates between CSA and psychological distress factors. The epidemiological study used was the National Comorbidity Study-Replication (NCS-R). This was a large survey of U.S. households investigating correlates and comorbidities of psychological disorders. Secondary analyses were completed on the NCS-R including prevalence rates of CSA in men compared to women, racial/ethnic information of men, associations with psychopathology as a function of CSA history in men, and demographical differences. It was found that there is indeed a significant difference between men with and without a history of CSA on race/ethnicity, socio-economic issues, psychological disorders, substance use, suicidality, use of mental health services, and experiencing other traumatic events, especially those involving interpersonal violence. Implications include support for increased use of screening for CSA within professional services that men with CSA have increased use of, including mental health and substance abuse services.

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