Psychosocial Correlates of Sexual Assault among Mexican American and White Non-Hispanic Adolescent Females

Abstract

Data were obtainedfrom a nonclinical sample of 1,121 Mexican American and White non-Hispanic adolescent females. Three hundred and three female participants who reported being sexually assaulted were compared to 793females who reported no history of sexual assault on a number of psychosocial characteristics. Male participants were excluded due to small N. White non-Hispanic adolescent females were twice as likely to report sexual assault as Mexican American adolescentfemales. Although rates of sexual assault differed across ethnicity, ethnicity did not influence the relationship between sexual assault and psychosocial characteristics of victims. Results did indicate, however; that sexual assault victims reported more emotional distress, more social isolation and more deviant behavior than nonvictims. Likewise, sexual assault victims reported poorer school adjustment, were more likely to affiliate with deviant peers, and were more likely to come from homes in which there was parental substance use and family conflict.

A Review of the Role of Social Support Systems in the Drug Use Behavior of Hispanics

“…These diffe rences suggest that greater acculturation may be related to in creased alcohol usage in Hispanic youth; these youth may be influenced less by the traditional fam ily constraints. Chavez's (1996) multiple wave study of 2,829 youth (67% Mexican-American and 33% White non-Hispanic) also fo und that peer drug use has a strong influence on drug use and polydrug use behaviors among both Mexican-American and non-Hispanic White youth (Davalos, Chavez & Guardiola 1999;Swaim, Bates &, Chavez 1998;Arellano, Kuhn & Chavez 1996). However, the interaction between gender and ethnicity may mediate this relationship.…”

Hispanic Women and Aids: Gendered Risk Factors and Clinical Implications

“…However, abuse research has focused mostly on the white population. Only recently has the cultural context of abuse been acknowledged as a vital but missing component in family violence research (Amaro, 1995;Arellano, Kuhn, & Chavez, 1997;Krishnan, Hilbert, Van Leeuqen, & Kolia, 1997).…”

“…The physical effects of abuse include bruises, broken bones, miscarriages, hearing and vision losses, irreversible joint damage, permanent dis gurement, and death. The psychological effects of abuse include low self-esteem, feelings of powerlessness, alcohol and substance abuse, depression, and suicide (Arellano et al, 1997;Burge, 1997;Davila & Brackley, 1999).…”

Childhood Maltreatment Among Hispanic Women in the United States

“…The majority of studies of childhood victimization among Hispanic women have reported only one type of maltreatment, usually sexual abuse (e.g., Arellano, Kuhn, & Chavez, 1997; Arroyo, Simpson, & Aragon, 1997; Kercher & McShane 1984; Roosa, Reinholtz, & Angelini 1999; Stein, Golding, Siegel, Burnam, & Sorenson, 1988). While a recent phone survey of Latino women provides important information about polyvictimization, results were not dis­aggregated by nativity status (Cuevas, Sabina, & Picard, 2010).…”

“…The few studies that examine the consequences of childhood maltreatment among Hispanic women document a significant association between maltreatment during childhood and mental health problems during adulthood; outcomes have included emotional distress and self-esteem (Arellano et al, 1997), depressive symptoms (Roosa et al, 1999), and trauma symptoms (Clemmons, DiLillo, Martinez, DeGue, & Jeffcott, 2003; Cuevas et al, 2010; Davies, DiLillo, & Martinez, 2004). These findings are consistent in that both cross-sectional (Banyard, Williams, & Siegel, 2001; Cougle, Timpano, Sachs-Ericsson, Keough, & Riccardi, 2010; Edwards, Holden, Felitte, & Anda, 2003; Harkness & Wildes, 2002; Kendler, Kuhn, & Prescott, 2004) and prospective (Fergusson, Horwood, & Lynskey, 1996; Schilling, Aseltine, & Gore, 2007; Widom, Dumont, & Czaja, 2007) studies of nonethnically differentiated samples amply document that women who experience maltreatment during childhood are at increased risk of mental health problems.…”