Re: substance abuse and sexual trauma (used to be "inquiry")

["Randall Webber" <rwebber@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree with Tony.  Our work with addicted women who have histories of
abusing and/or neglecting their children has indicated that between 75-95%
of that population suffered sexual abuse as a child. Actually, it goes
beyond that simple statement.  These women had a history of particularly
traumatic sexual abuse, as compared with similar women who were not
addicted.  The sexual abuse suffered by our "clinical" population was
characterized by such traumagenic factors as:

1.  Long rather than short history of abuse (sometime measured in years).
2.  Multiple rather than a single perpetrator
3.  Physically invasive sexual abuse, as opposed to being flashed, fondled,
etc.
4.  Violent sexual abuse, either the act itself, or the coercive actions
taken by the perpetrator, or threats of violence against the victim, one of
her family members, a family pet, or a cherished object.
5.  Perpetrator(s) "sanctioned" by the family to be in the home (relative,
friend, neighbor, pastor) making it look to the child as if the abuse might
also be sanctioned.
6.  Victim breaks silence, and is either not believed by parent or is
blamed for the abuse.  Perpetrator is thus not extruded from the home, and
the abuse gets worse.

For more information, visit the Project SAFE/"Sexual trauma and substance
abuse" section of our web site at
http://www.chestnut.org/LI/projectsafe/sexualtrauma.html   

-Randy Webber
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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J. Randall Webber, M.P.H. <rwebber@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Director of Training and Publications
Lighthouse Institute
Chestnut Health Systems
720 W. Chestnut St
Bloomington, IL  61701
309/829-1058 Ext 3411    309/829-4661 (fax)
http://www.chestnut.org

----------
> From: TJbrown103@xxxxxxx
> To: Child Maltreatment Researchers  
<CHILD-MALTREATMENT-RESEARCH-L@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: Inquiry
> Date: Tuesday, February 16, 1999 5:53 AM
> 
> There is actually a lot of information about this-has she approached her
> search from the issue of substance abuse?  Having worked in the field, I
can
> tell you that many, if not most, women that have a substance abuse
problem
> have also been victims of sexual abuse.  I presented an in-service on
this
> several years ago.  According to Claudia Black 'over 50 percent of known
> incest victims lived in homes where alcohol abuse was a major problem. 
In
> addition, many private practitioners report 60 to 80 percent of the
alcoholic
> women they treat were once incest victims...'
> 
> If you need me to dig a little deeper for resources, I can, but the
> information is out there.
> 
> Troy Brown, RN