From Child Sexual Abuse to Adult Sexual Risk

Book excerpt: From Child Sexual Abuse to Adult Sexual Risk examines the relation between child sexual abuse (CSA) and adult sexual health outcomes in men and women. An emerging body of literature suggests that children who experience sexual violence are more likely to engage in sexual risk behavior and, consequently, may be vulnerable to many negative reproductive and sexual health problems as adults. These problems include unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV infection, and adult sexual violence. In this singular volume, leading researchers and clinicians integrate research from a variety of disciplines, including epidemiology, traumatology, and prevention science, to bridge the current scientific literatures on CSA, basic trauma research, and clinical practice. Chapters identify the theory and research-based cognitive, affective, social, and behavioral consequences of trauma that influence both sexual health and sexual risk behaviors in adulthood. The volume also highlights new approaches that begin to translate these findings into interventions for people who have experienced CSA. This comprehensive resource delineates an emerging field of research that will help set a new c