Reported symptomatology of native Canadian and Caucasian females sexually abused in childhood - A comparison

As noted by the DSM-II! "... the severity and pattern of response [to trauma] may be modulated by cultural differences " such as "culturally prescribed coping behaviors that are characteristic of particular cultures " (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 430). As such, outcomes of sexual abuse (i.e., symptomatology) may differ between ethnic groups. This study examined symptomatology reported in survey data obtained from a clinical sample of 138 female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Seventy-eight respondents were Caucasian whereas 60 were of Native Canadian ancestry. Native Canadian women reported significantly higher levels of overall symptomatology than Caucasian women following sexual abuse, F(137, 1) = 5.57, p <.05. In addition, levels of symptoms reported on the Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 did not vary equally in Native Canadian and Caucasian samples. Native Canadian individuals reported significantly higher levels of somatic, sexual and sleep-related symptoms than Caucasians. The clinical implications of these findings are examined.