Childhood Sexual Abuse Impacting the Etiology of Eating...

Childhood Sexual Abuse Impacting the Etiology of Eating Disorders Todays literature estimates that as many as 1 in 3 females and 1 in 7 boys have been the victim of sexual abuse. There are about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases of incest each year in each major city in the United States. It is reported by the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse that in 1993, 2.9 million children were reported to protective services because they were being abused, neglected, or both (Schwartz). 16% of these 2.9 million children had been sexually abused. It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com/stats.htm#Disclosure. This childhood sexual abuse has been†¦show more content†¦They argue that it is impossible to infer a single variable model (sexual abuse) to a complex etiological model (eating disorders). I will attempt to review the scientific literature on this topic. Research Review- Glenn Waller (Waller, 1991) conducted a research study that probed whether sexual abuse was a factor in eating disorders. In his research, Waller presented 67 women who met the DSM-III-R criteria for either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. The 67 women were grouped into one of four categories. The categories included anorexia- restricting subtype, anorexia- purging subtype, bulimia with a history of anorexia, and bulimia with no history of anorexia. About 36% of the women completed a Sexual Events Questionnaire (SEQ), while the remaining women were asked about the sexual abuse during interviews. All the women were then interviewed concerning unwanted sexual experiences. Thirty two (48%) of the 67 reported that they were sexually abused in their childhood. Scores were compiled for each of the women after they had either taken the SEQ or were clinically interviewed. The researchers came to the conclusion through statistical analysis that sexual disorders pe r se do not cause eating disorders. The researchers believed that sexual abuse may determine the nature of the eating disorder but that this is prompted by other mitigating factors