Ethnicity and child sexual abuse experiences of female college students

This research examines the understudied issue of race/ethnicity in relation to child sexual abuse experiences (CSA) in a cross-sectional convenience sample of 461 female college students completing a survey. Comparisons of students' abuse experiences revealed ethnic differences in sexual abuse prevalence, severity of abuse, the victim- offender relationship and post-abuse coping. Black students reported more sexual abuse than other ethnic groups, followed by Hispanics, Whites, and Asians. Although timing and extent of disclosure of sexual abuse did not vary by ethnicity, negative social reactions to disclosure were more common for certain ethnic groups than others. No ethnic differences emerged for depressive or PTSD symptoms. Implications are drawn for future research on the issue of ethnic differences in the aftermath of CSA experiences.