Childhood sexual abuse as a predictor of adult female sexual dysfunction: a study of couples seeking sex therapy.

The present study investigated 359 married adult women who sought sex therapy with their spouses. Discriminant function analyses indicated that childhood sexual abuse plus a college education significantly discriminated between women with and without a diagnosed sexual dysfunction. Among abused women, abuse involving sexual penetration significantly discriminated between dysfunctional and nondysfunctional women. Current findings confirm previous theory and research regarding a connection between childhood sexual abuse and adult female dysfunction. Furthermore, the findings suggest that abuse involving sexual penetration is specifically associated with adult sexual dysfunction. Between 75% to 94% of women with a sexual dysfunction could be accurately identified on the basis of prior abuse, but many nondysfunctional women were misclassified. Future research should examine additional variables that may contribute to sexual dysfunction such as levels of anxiety and depression, as well as features of the marital relationship such as marital satisfaction and communication skills.