Abstract
A clinical sample of 165 women survivors in outpatient therapy was surveyed about whether their childhood sexual abuse (CSA) included each of 17 sexual acts. Factor analysis of these acts was conducted. A typology of CSA acts consisting of three factors emerged. Inspection of the acts loading on each factor suggested that they differed primarily in terms of the type of abuse of power implied by them rather than in the nature of the sexual behavior involved. The three factors were named Coerced Complicance (Coercion), Subjugation and Humiliation (Subjugation) and Invasive Objectification (Objectification). Implications for research, theory, and clinical practice, and the need for evaluating the generalizability of the typology to other subpopulations of survivors, are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Alexander, P. C., and Schaeffer, C. (1994). A typology of incestuous families based on cluster analysis. J. Fam. Psychol. 8: 458–470.
Alexander, P. C. (1993). The differential effects of abuse characteristics and attachment in the prediction of long-term effects of sexual abuse. J. Interpers. Viol. 8(3): 346–362.
Anderson, G., Yasenik, L., and Ross, C. A. (1993). Dissociative experiences and disorders among women who identify themselves as sexual abuse survivors. Child Abuse Negl. 17: 677–686.
Briere, J. (1988). Controlling for family variables in abuse effects research: A critique of the Aparitalling@ approach. J. Interpers. Viol. 3(1): 81–89.
Briere, J., and Runtz, M. (1987). Post sexual abuse trauma: data and implications for clinical practice. J. Interpers. Viol. 2(4): 367–379. Child Abuse Negl. 14: 357–364.
Briere, J., and Runtz, M. (1988). Symptomatology associated with childhood sexual victimization in a nonclinical adult sample. Child Abuse Negl. 12: 51–59.
Briere, J., and Runtz, M. (1990). Differential adult symptomatology associated with three types of child abuse histories. Child Abuse Negl. 14: 357–364.
Briere, J. Smiljanich, K., and Henschel, D. (1994). Sexual fantasies, gender, and molestation history. Child Abuse Negl. 18: 131–137.
Briere, J., and Zaidi, L. Y. (1989). Sexual abuse histories and sequelae in female psychiatric emergency patients. American Journal of Psychiatry 146(12): 1602–1606. Finkelhor, D. (1979). Sexually Victimized Children. The Free Press, New York.
Courtois, C. (1988). Healing the Incest Wound: Adult Survivors in Therapy. Norton, New York.
Elliot, D. M., and Briere, J. (1992). Sexual abuse trauma among professional women: Validation the trauma symptom checklist-40 (TSC-40). Child Abuse Negl. 16: 391–398.
Finkelhor, D. (1979). Sexually Victimized Children. The Free Press, New York.
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I. A., and Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of adult men and women: Prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors. Child Abuse Negl. 14: 19–28.
Fischer, D. G., and Elnitsky S. (1990). A factor analytic study of the two scales measuring dissociation. Am. J. Clin. Hypnosis 32: 201–207.
Gold, S. N., Hughes, D. M., and Swingle, J. M. (1996). Characteristics of childhood sexual abuse among female survivors in therapy. Child Abuse Neglect 20: 323–325.
Groth, N. A. (1979). Men Who Rape: The Psychology of the Offender. Plenum Press, New York.
Groth, N. A. (1989). Understanding sexual offense behavior and differentiating among sexual abusers: Basic conceptual issues. In Sgori, S. (Ed.). Vulnerable Populations: Treatment of Sexual Abuse of Children, Adult Survivors, and the Mentally Retarded (Vol. 2.), Basic Books, New York.
Hatcher, L., and Stepanski, E. J. (1994). A Step-by-Step Approach to Using the as System for Univariate and Multivariate Statistics, SAS Institute Inc., North Carolina.
Russell, D. (1986). The Secret Trauma: Incest in the Lives of Girls and Women. Basic Books, New York.
Shealy, L., Kalichman, S. C., Henderson, M. C., Szymenowski, D., and McKee, G. (1991). MMPI profile subtypes of incarcerated sex offenders against children. Viol. and Vict. 6: 201–211.
Warren, J. I., Reboussin, R. Hazelwood, R. R., and Wright, J. A. (1991). Prediction of rapist type and violence from verbal, physical, and sexual scales. J. Interpers. Vio. 6: 55–67.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gold, S.N., Swingle, J.M., Hill, E.L. et al. Acts of Childhood Sexual Abuse: An Empirically Derived Typology. Journal of Family Violence 13, 233–242 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022836921616
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022836921616