Nancy Kusmaul, Associate Professor and colleagues Published in Journal of Women & Aging
Title: "It Gets Better: Childhood Sexual Abuse and Trauma Symptoms in Older Adults. Journal of Women and Aging"
The aim of this study was to investigate current symptoms of trauma in adult female survivors of child sexual abuse across each successive decade, beginning with eighteen year olds. This retrospective, anonymous online study gathered a sample of 223 adult female survivors of CSA (38 of whom were aged 50–59 (17%), and 20 of whom were 60+ years of age (9%)), and surveyed their trauma history and their current symptomology. In our sample, the survivors with the most severe trauma symptoms were between 18 and 29 years old. Each subsequent decade reported fewer trauma symptoms, with respondents in the 60+ age group reporting the lowest trauma symptom severity. While a cross-sectional study does not allow us to evaluate individuals’ experiences over time, these results suggest that the negative impacts of CSA may abate over the life course.
Wolf, M., Kusmaul, N., & Mucha, B. * (2021). It Gets Better: Childhood Sexual Abuse and Trauma Symptoms in Older Adults. Journal of Women and Aging. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/08952841.2021.1995305