OBJECTIVE: To examine the incidence and effects of childhood
sexual abuse experiences on the lives of adolescent mothers who were
Mexican American and African American. Specifically, the personality
characteristics of the adolescent mothers who experienced sexual abuse
as assessed using the Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory were
compared with those of minority adolescent mothers who were not abused
sexually. DESIGN: An exploratory descriptive design. SETTING: Four
public agencies caring for adolescent mothers in two urban centers in
Texas. PARTICIPANTS: Mexican American and African American adolescent
mothers (N = 124), ages 13-20 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Millon
Personality Inventory, the Life Event Scale-Adolescents, the Childhood
Sexual Experience Survey, and a demographic data sheet. RESULTS:
Forty-four percent (n = 54) of the respondents reported childhood
sexual abuse experience. Data from 111 subjects (two groups, abuse and
nonabuse) were analyzed by MANCOVA techniques. Significant differences
were found between the two groups when the effect of the Life Event
Scale-Adolescents was controlled (Multivariate F[12, 97] = 3.055, p =
0.001). Univariate F tests (df1, 108) showed significant differences
in self-concept (F = 18.434, p < 0.000), personal esteem (F = 8.819, p
= 0.004), body comfort (F = 10.442, p = 0.002), sexual acceptance (F =
9.918, p = 0.002), peer security (F = 10.412, p = 0.002), family
rapport (F = 9.801, p = 0.002), academic confidence (F = 5.764, p =
0.018), social conformity (F = 4.552, p = 0.035), scholastic
achievement (F = 19.991, p < 0.000), and attendance consistency (F =
10.009, p = 0.002). The mothers in the abuse group had consistently
poorer scores than those in the nonabuse group. CONCLUSIONS: These
findings suggest that childhood sexual abuse may be related to
vulnerability for adolescent motherhood.