Abstract:-
Past studies indicated a correlation between early childhood abuse and neglect and an adult likelihood to engage in prostitution.. Other studies attached Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) to a broad range of negative teenage and adult behaviors. . However, because there is no established definition of CSA and there is a corresponding lack of hard data. Additionally, most studies examine a number of sexual risk factors, including but not limited to promiscuity and multiple sexual partners. Therefore, the hypothesis that sexual abuse in youth leads to promiscuity later in life is one subject for ongoing evaluation and exploration.
Introduction:-
Although some of these studies tracked a wide range of childhood abuse along with teenage and adult sexual behavior, some, like the study commenced in 1967 by Cathy S. Wisdom, PhD. and J. B. Kuhns and discussed in a report entitled, Childhood victimization and subsequent risk for promiscuity, prostitution, and teenage pregnancy: a prospective study, did not find that childhood victimization was a significant factor in all ranges of adolescent and adult sexual behavior patterns. . As social values change, their effect on individual behavior patterns also undergoes a shift and a reliable study conducted between 1967 and 1995 may not be definitively predictive of adolescent behavior in the 21st century. A more recent study from 2008 entitled Childhood and Adolescent Sexual Abuse and Subsequent Sexual Risk Behavior: Evidence from Controlled Studies, Methodological Critique, and Suggestions for Research explained, “Childhood and adolescent sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a wide variety of adverse psychological and health outcomes, including negative sexual health outcomes. Another study from 2008 by Helen W. Wilson and Cathy S. Wisdom, PhD. entitled Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Adults Who Had Been Abused and Neglected as Children: A 30-Year Prospective Study further expands upon their research from the study commenced in 1967. .
Hypothesis:-
Sexual abuse in youth leads to promiscuity later in life.
Methods:-
There are several methods to test the hypothesis that childhood sexual abuse leads to promiscuity later in life. Because there is a already a large body of data regarding childhood sexual abuse and its repercussions on adult behavior the first appropriate step in proving the hypothesis is a secondary data analysis. Both the terms are loosely defined across the scope of the existing data. Therefore, this analysis needs to refine the definitions of CSA and “promiscuity” then examine the data under the parameters of these specific definitions. It is possible then to determine if sufficient data exists to prove the hypothesis. If this data does not exist, a survey of participants in ongoing treatment is the most logical follow up method. The specific scope and nature of the survey is dependent upon the existing data and possibilities extant to follow up on this data.
In their study commenced in 1967, Wisdom and Kuhns matched a group of abused and non-abused children and followed them to adulthood tracking their behavior. . These effective but time intensive processes lead to reliably substantive results. Their subsequent study that was founded in that research, and published in 2008, established the conclusion that CSA “increased risk for any sexually transmitted disease” . This extended study yielded precise data and permitted the researchers to reach a solid conclusion. Although that data is extraordinarily valuable, it requires the progression of study over the span of decades and fails to produce the initial results needed to help patients from its inception. A literature review as was conducted by Senn, Carey and Vanable in 2008 is reliant upon the variable criteria used in the studies reviewed and so lacks the specificity needed to fully support a specific thesis. Their conclusion stated in part that it could provide a basis for researchers to, “begin investigating more sophisticated research questions,” . This substantiates why the initial method utilized should be a secondary data analysis using specific terms. That data may alone provide conclusive evidence without additional research in order to prove the hypnosis that sexual abuse in youth leads to promiscuity later in life.
References
Senn, P. T., Carey, P. M., & Vanable, P. P. (2008, 06). Childhood and Adolescent Sexual Abuse and Subsequent Sexual Risk Behavior: Evidence from Controlled Studies, Methodological Critique, and Suggestions for Research. Retrieved 08 28, 2012, from PubMed - Clin Psychol Rev: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2416446/?tool=pmcentrez
Wilson, P. H., & Wisdom, P. C. (2009, 04). Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among Adults Who Had Been Abused and Neglected as Children:A 30-Year Prospective Study. Retrieved 08 28, 2012, from PMC - Am J Public Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2724945/?tool=pmcentrez
Wisdom, C. S., & Kuhns, J. B. (1996, 11). Childhood victimization and subsequent risk for promiscuity, prostitution, and teenage pregnancy: a prospective study. Retrieved 08 27, 2012, from Am. J. Public Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1380697/
