Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) as a predictor of depression and
self-destructive behaviors in adulthood was examined relative to other
traumatic stressors in childhood and adulthood with special attention
to sex differences. In a college sample of 173 men and 265 women, 16%
of male (n = 28) and 24% of female respondents (n = 63) reported
having been sexually abused as children. CSA, ranging from unwanted
kissing and fondling to unwanted sexual intercourse, predicted
depression, chronic self-destructiveness, self-harm ideation, acts of
self-harm, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts, for both men and
women. The more frequent and severe the sexual abuse and the longer
its duration, the more depression and self-destructiveness reported in
adulthood. Other stressors predicted these effects less consistently
but their occurrence in combination with CSA contributed to the
negativity of long-term outcomes. Study results affirm previous
findings of a relationship between CSA and depression and
self-destructiveness in adult females and extend them to males.