Family-of-Origin Variables and Adult Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse; A Review of the Research

The context of childhood sexual abuse, most often the child's family of origin, has received attention recently in the adult survivor research literature. Findings related to family-of-origin variables, including concomitant physical and emotional abuse, and long-term effects in samples of adult female survivors of childhood sexual abuse are reviewed. The contribution of family variables, such as disturbed interaction patterns, in producing vulnerability to later distress in this population and the clinical implications of the emerging findings related to these variables are addressed.