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Linking Childhood Sexual Abuse and Early Adolescent Risk Behavior: The Intervening Role of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems

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Abstract

A robust literature links childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to later substance use and sexual risk behavior; yet, relatively little empirical attention has been devoted to identifying the mechanisms linking CSA to risky behavior among youth, with even less work examining such processes in boys. With the aim of addressing this gap in the literature, the current study examined the indirect effect of childhood sexual abuse (CSA; from age 2 to 12) trajectory group on risky behavior at age 14 (alcohol use & sexual intercourse) via the intervening role of caregiver-reported internalizing and externalizing problems at age 12. Analyses were conducted with a subsample of youth (n = 657 sexual intercourse; n = 667 alcohol use) from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), a multisite prospective study of youth at risk for maltreatment. For boys and girls, there was an indirect effect from CSA to sexual intercourse through externalizing problems. The same pattern emerged for alcohol use, but only for girls. Findings did not support an indirect path through internalizing problems for either boys or girls for either outcome. Findings suggest more focal targets for prevention efforts aimed at maintaining the health and safety of maltreated boys and girls during the adolescent transition.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for the current secondary analyses was provided by a Mentored Public Health Research Scientist Development Award awarded to the first author from the CDC (K01PS000795-01).

Funding for the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) is provided by grants from the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, the Children’s Bureau, Office of Child Abuse and Neglect Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and National Institutes of Health. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the funding agencies.

We would like to acknowledge all the LONGSCAN principal investigators, coordinating center, and study staff. In addition, we would like to sincerely thank and recognize the families and participants of the LONGSCAN study for providing their time and valuable information.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Deborah J. Jones

  2. Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Terri Lewis

  3. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Alan Litrownik

  4. Juvenile Protective Association, Chicago, IL, USA

    Richard Thompson

  5. Judge Baker Children’s Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Laura J. Proctor

  6. Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Patricia Isbell

  7. Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Howard Dubowitz

  8. School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Diana English

  9. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Bobby Jones

  10. Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Daniel Nagin

  11. Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, CO, USA

    Desmond Runyan

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Correspondence to Deborah J. Jones.

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Jones, D.J., Lewis, T., Litrownik, A. et al. Linking Childhood Sexual Abuse and Early Adolescent Risk Behavior: The Intervening Role of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems. J Abnorm Child Psychol 41, 139–150 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-012-9656-1

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