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Current mental health in women with childhood sexual abuse who had outpatient psychotherapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Dawn E. Peleikis ,
Arnstein Mykletun  and
Alv A. Dahl
Dawn E. Peleikis*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Aker University Hospital, Sognsvannsveien 21, 0320, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Arnstein Mykletun
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
Alv A. Dahl
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo, Norway
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +47 92 3400; fax: +47 92 3971. E-mail address: pel@online.no (D.E. Peleikis).
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Abstract

Purpose

This study from Norway examines mental health status of women with child sexual abuse (CSA) who formerly had outpatient psychotherapy for anxiety disorders and/or depression. The relative contributions of CSA and other family background risk factors (FBRF) to aspects of mental health status are also explored.

Subjects

At a mean of 5.1 years after outpatient psychotherapy, 56 female outpatients with CSA and 56 without CSA were personally examined by an independent female psychiatrist. Systematic information about current mental health and functioning was collected by structured interview and questionnaires.

Results

Among women with CSA 95% had a mental disorder, 50% had PTSD, and mean global assessment of functioning (GAF) score was 61.8 ± 10.6. In contrast, 70% of women without CSA had a mental disorder, 14% had PTSD, and mean GAF 71.2 + 8.5. GAF and trauma scale scores were mainly determined by CSA, while FBRF mainly influenced the global psychopathology and dissociation scores.

Discussion

We have little knowledge on the mental health status at long-term in women with CSA who had psychotherapy. This study found their mental status to be rather poor, and worse than that of women without CSA who had psychotherapy for the same disorders. From the broad spectrum of mental disorders associated with CSA, this study concerns only women treated as outpatients for anxiety disorders and/or non-psychotic depressions.

Conclusion

Women with CSA showed poor mental health at long-term follow-up after treatment. The fitness of the psychodynamic individual psychotherapy given, or to what extent treatment can remedy the consequences of such childhood adversities, is discussed.

Keywords

Mental statusChild sexual abuseAnxiety disordersDepression
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , May 2005 , pp. 260 - 267
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier SAS 2005

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