Methodologic Considerations for the Study of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Sexual Health Outcome Research: A Comprehensive Review.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been a topic of interest in sexual health research for decades, yet literature on the sexual health correlates of CSA has been hindered by methodologic inconsistencies that have resulted in discrepant samples and mixed results. AIM: To review the major methodologic inconsistencies in the field, explore the scientific and clinical impact of these inconsistencies, and propose methodologic approaches to increase consistency and generalizability to the general population of women with CSA histories. METHOD: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to assess the methodologic practices used in examining CSA and sexual health outcomes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Methodologic decisions of researchers examining sexual health outcomes of CSA. RESULTS: There are a number of inconsistencies in the methods used to examine CSA in sexual health research across the domains of CSA operationalization, recruitment language, and measurement approaches to CSA experiences. CONCLUSION: The examination of CSA and sexual health correlates is an important research endeavor that needs rigorous methodologic approaches. We propose recommendations to increase the utility of CSA research in sexual health. We recommend the use of a developmentally informed operationalization of childhood and adolescence, rather than age cutoffs. Researchers are encouraged to use a broad operationalization of sexual abuse such that different abuse characteristics can be measured, reported, and examined in the role of sexual health outcomes. We recommend inclusive recruitment approaches to capture the full range of CSA experiences and transparency in reporting these methods. The field also could benefit from the validation of existing self-report instruments for assessing CSA and detailed reporting of the instruments used in research studies. The use of more consistent research practices could improve the state of knowledge on the relation between CSA and sexual health. Kilimnik CD, Pulverman CS, Meston CM. Methodologic Considerations for the Study of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Sexual Health Outcome Research A Comprehensive Review. Sex Med Rev 2018;6176-187.