Prevalence, Patterns, Severity, and Sociodemographic Correlates of Childhood Sexual Abuse Among Adults with Hypertension.

Background

The prior literature associates childhood sexual abuse (CSA), a profound early-life stressor, with long-term cardiometabolic and psychological effects. However, data on the distribution of CSA severity and patterns among different sociodemographic groups are limited. This study aimed to describe CSA prevalence, patterns, and severity among adults with hypertension and to examine its association with sociodemographic characteristics.

Methods

This cross-sectional study evaluated a sample of 353 adults using various self-reported items. The analysis used individual responses and a binary variable indicating CSA exposure. A composite CSA severity score was determined by the number of reported abuse patterns and categorized into ordinal levels.

Results

Of the participants, 42.2% reported exposure to CSA. The most frequently reported pattern was sexual contact or harassment (26.1%), followed by other sexual abuse acts (25.2%), forced sexual acts or exposure (18.7%), and coerced sexual activity (17.3%). Sexual assault or rape was reported by 20.7% of respondents. In terms of severity, 57.8% of respondents reported no CSA exposure, whereas 10.8% reported experiencing the highest severity. All examined sociodemographic factors were significantly associated with CSA exposure (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

High CSA exposure and greater severity patterns were prevalent in this population, demonstrating notable sociodemographic gradients. These findings support the need for trauma-informed therapeutic awareness of CSA exposure among adults with hypertension. Nevertheless, the role of CSA as a risk factor for hypertension cannot be inferred from this study, as it only included subjects with preexisting hypertension. Longitudinal research is necessary to identify causal pathways.