Saaniya Bedi, Elliot C. Nelson, Michael T. Lynskey, Vivia V. McCutcheon, Pamela A.F. Madden, Kathleen K. Bucholz, Andrew C. Heath, Nicholas G. Martin

Risk for Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior after Childhood Sexual Abuse in Women and Men

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Prior studies have found an elevated risk for psychopathology and suicidal behavior associated with childhood sexual abuse (CSA); however the degree to which risk is mediated by depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women and men remains unclear. We examined these issues in data from a family study of childhood maltreatment (N=2559). We found significant CSA-associated risk for depression, PTSD, and suicidal behavior for women and men. In survival analyses controlling for these disorders, we observed persistent, but somewhat reduced, CSA-associated risk for suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. Our findings thus suggest these disorders partially mediate CSA-associated risk.