OBJECTIVE: To compare sexually abused boys with sexually abused
girls and with their non-sexually abused counterparts with regard to
(1) the type of mental health problems they experience; and (2) the
number and patterns of such problems. METHOD: The sample comprised 745
secondary school students, aged 12 to 19 years, with a self-reported
history of sexual abuse (151 boys and 594 girls) and 745 matched
students without such a history. Sexually abused and non-sexually
abused boys and girls were compared with regard to four problem
categories: emotional problems, aggressive/criminal behaviors,
addiction-risk behaviors, and suicidality. RESULTS: A larger
proportion of sexually abused adolescents than nonabused adolescents
reported problems in the separate categories and in a combination of
problem categories. Sexually abused boys had considerably more
emotional and behavioral problems, including suicidality, than their
female counterparts. There were differences between the specific
combinations of problem categories reported by sexually abused girls
and boys. These differences could not be attributed to the finding
that sexually abused boys were more often the victim of concurrent
physical abuse than sexually abused girls. CONCLUSIONS: The results
suggest that although there was a strong association between being
sexually abused and the existence of a multiple problem pattern in
both sexes, the aftermath for boys might be even worse or more complex
than for girls.