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Childhood Sexual Abuse and Rates of Loneliness in Adulthood
Oluwasegun Akinyemi1, Mojisola Fasokun2, Fadeke Ogunyankin3
1The Clive O. Callender Outcomes Research Center, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC.
JAMA Network Open
|July 8, 2026
Summary
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is linked to increased adult loneliness, with more frequent abuse correlating with higher loneliness. These findings highlight the need for trauma-informed care to address long-term psychosocial impacts.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant early-life trauma with lasting psychiatric effects.
- Previous research on CSA's impact is limited by nonrepresentative samples and a lack of dose-response analysis in US populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adult loneliness.
- To determine if this association varies by sex, race/ethnicity, or age group.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study utilizing data from 53,444 US adults surveyed in the 2023-2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
- CSA history was self-reported retrospectively. Loneliness frequency was assessed using ordinal logistic regression, adjusted for covariates.
- Formal testing for effect modification by sex, race/ethnicity, and age was conducted, incorporating complex survey weights.
Main Results:
- A dose-response relationship was observed between CSA exposure and adult loneliness.
- Adults with repeated CSA exposure showed a significantly higher probability of experiencing loneliness compared to unexposed individuals.
- Any CSA exposure was associated with an 18.1 percentage point increase in the absolute risk of loneliness, potentially accounting for 7.5% of US adult loneliness cases.
Conclusions:
- Childhood sexual abuse is strongly associated with increased adult loneliness in a dose-response manner.
- The findings emphasize the critical need for trauma-informed strategies to mitigate the long-term psychosocial consequences of CSA.
- The observed patterns were consistent across diverse demographic groups, underscoring the widespread impact of CSA on loneliness.
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