J Fleming1, P E Mullen, B Sibthorpe, R Attewell, G Bammer. 1. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. jillianfleming@ozemail.com.au
Abstract
AIMS: The aim of this paper was to examine the association between reporting childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and alcohol abuse in a community sample of women using multivariate analysis which took into account a range of potential confounding variables (such as a family history of alcoholism) and effect modifiers (such as having an alcoholic partner). DESIGN: A two-stage retrospective case-control study was used to investigate the relationship between reporting CSA and alcohol abuse in women. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred and ten women randomly selected from the Australian federal electoral rolls. MEASUREMENTS: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to measure alcohol abuse. A series of questions based on those developed by Wyatt (1985) were used to ascertain the prevalence of CSA. FINDINGS: The final model showed that the relationship between a history of CSA and alcohol abuse reflected a complex interaction between CSA and a range of other factors in a woman's background. CSA was not by itself a significant predictor of alcohol abuse (OR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.31-1.20). However, a history of CSA became significant in combination with co-factors which included: having a mother who was perceived as cold and uncaring; having an alcoholic partner; and believing that alcohol is a sexual disinhibitor. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that CSA alone is not a causative factor in the development of alcohol abuse among women and highlights the importance of examining the family background of women with alcohol problems.
AIMS: The aim of this paper was to examine the association between reporting childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and alcohol abuse in a community sample of women using multivariate analysis which took into account a range of potential confounding variables (such as a family history of alcoholism) and effect modifiers (such as having an alcoholic partner). DESIGN: A two-stage retrospective case-control study was used to investigate the relationship between reporting CSA and alcohol abuse in women. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred and ten women randomly selected from the Australian federal electoral rolls. MEASUREMENTS: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to measure alcohol abuse. A series of questions based on those developed by Wyatt (1985) were used to ascertain the prevalence of CSA. FINDINGS: The final model showed that the relationship between a history of CSA and alcohol abuse reflected a complex interaction between CSA and a range of other factors in a woman's background. CSA was not by itself a significant predictor of alcohol abuse (OR = 0.61; 95% CI = 0.31-1.20). However, a history of CSA became significant in combination with co-factors which included: having a mother who was perceived as cold and uncaring; having an alcoholic partner; and believing that alcohol is a sexual disinhibitor. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that CSA alone is not a causative factor in the development of alcohol abuse among women and highlights the importance of examining the family background of women with alcohol problems.
Authors: Danielle C Ompad; Robin M Ikeda; Nina Shah; Crystal M Fuller; Susan Bailey; Edward Morse; Peter Kerndt; Carey Maslow; Yingfeng Wu; David Vlahov; Richard Garfein; Steffanie A Strathdee Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2005-04 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Jane Liebschutz; Jacqueline B Savetsky; Richard Saitz; Nicholas J Horton; Christine Lloyd-Travaglini; Jeffrey H Samet Journal: J Subst Abuse Treat Date: 2002-04