Risk for Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior after Childhood Sexual Abuse in Women and Men

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Prior studies have found an elevated risk for psychopathology and suicidal behavior associated with childhood sexual abuse (CSA); however the degree to which risk is mediated by depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in women and men remains unclear. We examined these issues in data from a family study of childhood maltreatment (N=2559). We found significant CSA-associated risk for depression, PTSD, and suicidal behavior for women and men. In survival analyses controlling for these disorders, we observed persistent, but somewhat reduced, CSA-associated risk for suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. Our findings thus suggest these disorders partially mediate CSA-associated risk.