Childhood Sexual Abuse, African American Women, and HIV Risk.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is defined as unwanted or coerced sexual contact prior to the age of 18 (Wyatt, 1985; Wyatt, Newcomb, & Riederle, 1995). Once thought to rarely occur, conservative estimates suggest that at least 20% of women and 5–10% of men worldwide report being sexually abuse as children (World Health Organization, 2002). Within the United States, the prevalence of CSA among women is approximately 33% (Briere & Elliott, 1993; Loeb et al., 2002a; Wyatt, Guthrie, & Notgrass, 1992). A large body of epidemiological evidence suggests that the impact of childhood sexual abuse is varied and wide-reaching. Further, a history of childhood sexual abuse is linked to increased risks for psychosocial, behavioral, and physical health problems, including HIV (Chin, Wyatt, Carmona, Loeb, & Myers, 2004). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]