CHILDHOOD SEXUAL TRAUMA OF CHEMICALLY DEPENDENT WOMEN

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the incidence and experience of childhood sexual abuse among chemically dependent women. Structured interviews were conducted with 60 recovering chemically dependent women living in a long-term treatment facility; 68% said they had been recipients of unwanted sexual contacts from perpetrators, such as uncles, brothers, fathers, family friends, neighborhood boys, and strangers. Significant differences between the sexually abused and nonsexually abused chemically dependent women were (1) the abused women were more likely to have family members who were addicted, (2) they were more likely to be African-American, (3) they were more likely to have been raped sometime in their life, (4) they began using drugs at an earlier age, and (5) they had been using drugs longer. The issue of childhood sexual abuse in chemically dependent women needs to be assessed and treated if these women are to be able to begin the long road to recovery.