O abuso na infância e a re-vitimização na idade adulta

: preditores dos comportamentos sexuais de risco e da hipersexualidade

Abstract

Childhood trauma affects well­being in adulthood. In particular, sexual abuse was related to greater sexual dysfunction, lower sexual satisfaction in adulthood, but also to higher levels of compulsivity and risky sexual behaviors. Objectives: To analyze whether abuse in childhood and re­victimization in adulthood are predictors of risky sexual behavior and hypersexuality, as well as to study the differences between women with and without a history of abuse in terms of the psychosocial and behavioral variables under study. The sample consists of 126 women with and without a history of abuse and re­victimization in adulthood, aged between 18 and 40 years, who completed the following instruments: Sociodemographic Questionnaire; Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ); Sexual Abuse in Adulthood Questionnaire; Past Sexual Behavior Questionnaire; several self­report questionnaires about risky sexual behaviors and the Consequences of Hypersexual Behavior Scale. It was found that the different types of abuse in childhood were positively related to each other, as well as abuse in childhood and re­victimization in adulthood were positively and significantly correlated with risky sexual behaviors and hypersexuality. Most studies on child abuse and adult rape have not included women using public primary health care services. For this reason, this study contributes to our understanding of the prevalence and predictors of risky sexual behaviors and hypersexuality in a poorly investigated group of women.

Date of Award	25 Mar 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Eleonora C. V. Costa (Supervisor)