Anxiety Mediates the Relation Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Genito-Pelvic Pain in Adolescent Girls

Previous research has demonstrated associations between child sexual abuse, anxiety, and genito-pelvic pain, but no study to date has examined whether sexual abuse may be associated with genito-pelvic pain through victims' elevated anxiety. The present study aimed to determine whether anxiety m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sex & marital therapy 2017-11, Vol.43 (8), p.774-785
Main Authors: Santerre-Baillargeon, Marie, Vézina-Gagnon, Pascale, Daigneault, Isabelle, Landry, Tina, Bergeron, Sophie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior - psychology
Adolescent girls
Anxiety
Anxiety - complications
Anxiety - psychology
Child
Child abuse & neglect
Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology
Child sexual abuse
Childhood
Children
Female
Girls
Humans
Hysterectomy
Medical research
Pain
Pain management
Pedophilia
Pelvic Pain - complications
Pelvic Pain - psychology
Risk Factors
Secondary schools
Sex crimes
Surveys and Questionnaires
Vulvodynia - complications
Vulvodynia - psychology
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Summary:Previous research has demonstrated associations between child sexual abuse, anxiety, and genito-pelvic pain, but no study to date has examined whether sexual abuse may be associated with genito-pelvic pain through victims' elevated anxiety. The present study aimed to determine whether anxiety mediates the relationship between child sexual abuse and genito-pelvic pain. Using self-report questionnaires, data were gathered from 218 sexually active adolescent girls recruited from seven metropolitan high schools. As expected, results revealed a significant indirect effect of sexual abuse on the development of genito-pelvic pain through trait anxiety. This study thus suggests that anxiety may be one of the mechanisms by which child sexual abuse leads to an increased risk of developing genito-pelvic pain in this population.
ISSN:0092-623X
1521-0715
DOI:10.1080/0092623X.2016.1266539