General practice service use and satisfaction among female survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

BACKGROUND

Because childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adult violence are associated with poorer physical and mental health of women, our aim was to investigate the associations between CSA, adult violence experiences and general practice service use and satisfaction in a community sample of Australian women aged 28-33 years.

METHODS

Data of 9058 women from the 1973-78 cohort who completed Survey 4 of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health were analysed.

RESULTS

Logistic regressions conducted indicated that after controlling for demographic variables, women with experiences of lifetime violence were more likely to have higher general practice service use compared to those without violence experiences. CSA was not associated with an increase in service use but was significantly associated with a decrease in service satisfaction. This find-ing remained significant even when they visited the general practice more frequently.

DISCUSSION: Implementing trauma-informed care is suggested as a way to improve the satisfaction of this patient group with complex needs.