The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #57429

Osmar Matsui-Santana, MD, MPH¹, Laura Flores-Gonzalez, MD, MSexEd¹, Cecilia Peregrina Bancalari, Psych MSex², Juan Alberto Hernández Padilla, Psych MSex², and Rosa Elena Jauregui Ramírez, Psych¹. (1) Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Administradores 5553, Arcos de Guadalupe, Zapopan, Jalisco, 45030, Mexico, 52(33)36207105, omatsui@cucs.udg.mx, (2) Master´s Program in Human Sexuality Education, Centro de Educación y Atención a la Salud y la Sexualidad (CEASS) A.C., Montenegro 2361, Guadalajara, Jalisco, 44140, Mexico

Child sexual abuse is a social phenomenon which affects several aspects of the offended’s life. Its consequences are aggravated because it is barely disclosed by the child to other people; thus, only few cases look for psychological assessment. Child sexual abuse has been related to emotional and behavioral disorders such as risk taking behaviors. This paper describes the frequency and variables associated with child sexual abuse. An anonymous and self-administered questionnaire on sexuality and lifestyles was applied to 3000 randomly selected students of 13 university campus of Jalisco, Mexico. We present results about history of child sexual abuse in its contact form, given that non-contact forms are very difficult to identify or recall. Almost a quarter of the studied population reported an incident of sexual abuse with physical contact before the age of 13 yo. There were no significant prevalence differences by gender. Sexual abuse occurred mainly below an age of 9 yo. Half of the offenders were adults, and also a half were a child’s relative. In two thirds of the cases sexual abuse happened from several to many times by the same offender, even lasting 5 or more years. Half of the students with a history of sexual abuse reported that nobody else knew about it. Most of the respondents referred that sexual abuse during their childhood has affected their lives, and we found a significant difference by gender. These findings are important to take into account when addressing health programs to people with Mexican heritage.

Learning Objectives:

Participants of this session will be able to:
• Remember the frequency of child sexual abuse in mexicans.
• recognize gender differences in child sexual abuse.
• Apply this knowledge when planning health programs to people with Mexican heritage.

Keywords: Children and Adolescents, Sexual Risk Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.