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Clinical researchers examining the long-term consequences of child molestation have reported that female survivors of child sexual abuse experience a higher risk of sexual assault as adults. However, very little literature has focused on the child and/or adult sexual victimization of women from different ethnic or cultural backgrounds. In examining the long-term consequences of child sexual abuse, this investigation examined the rates of sexual revictimization of women of color. A multiethnic (white, African-American, Latina, and Asian-American) sample of 243 women, recruited and randomly selected from a pool of volunteers from two community colleges, were administered extensive clinical interviews. Nearly two thirds of the women who reported rape as an adult had a history of child sexual abuse, while approximately one third of the nonvictimized women had a child sexual abuse history. Additionally, an examination of the rates of adult rape within each ethnic group revealed differences between the women with and without a history of child sexual abuse. Significant differences (i.e., higher rates of rape associated with a prior history of child sexual abuse) were found for white women, African-American women, and Latinas, but not for Asian-American women. The results of this investigation highlight the relationship between child sexual abuse and adult rape and suggest the need for researchers to take a broader cultural context in which to view sexual victimization.

A designated priority in the field of child maltreatment is the development of empirical approaches for treating abusive families. This article describes parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT), an intervention that has been shown to be effective for helping parents manage young children with severe behavioral problems. The potential application of this treatment program to the child maltreatment field is examined by (a) providing a social learning perspective to explain the development and stability of some physically abusive parent-child relationships, (b) outlining the effectiveness of PCIT with similar populations, and (c) discussing the unique benefits that PCIT may offer the field of child maltreatment. The limitations of PCIT with physically abusive families are also discussed.

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