Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Nonclinical and Nonstudent Sample of Adult Women Sexually Abused as Children

Abstract

Questionnaires were distributed to 1,500 female nurses to estimate the prevalence and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a nonclinical and nonstudent sample of women who had been sexually abused as children (age 15 or below). Response to the questionnaire, completed anonymously, yielded a sample of 54 women. Using a cut-off score of 2 on a 0-4 scale (PTSD symptoms experienced “moderately”), it was estimated that only 4% of these formerly sexually abused women might currently meet DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for PTSD while 17% might have met these criteria in the past. When using a cut-off of 1—symptoms experienced “a little bit”—the respective percentages were higher, 20% and 41%; when using a cut-off of 3—symptoms experienced “quite a bit”—the respective percentages were lower, 2% and 7%. The severity of PTSD symptomatology was greatest in cases of father-daughter incest, and if sexual intercourse had taken place or had been attempted. These findings were contrasted with higher estimates of PTSD reported in clinical samples of formerly sexually abused women, and the methodological limitations of the present study were discussed.