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Abstract
The current study used a national probability sample of 8618 Icelandic youth between
the ages of 16 and 20 to examine the impairments associated with childhood sexual
abuse for male and female victims. The dimensions of impairment were: general anxiety,
eating anxiety, depressed mood, theft, and violent behavior. Overall, our results
suggest that gender differences in impairment may depend on the particular outcome
measured: (1) females were approximately three times more likely than males to experience
childhood sexual abuse; (2) the association between childhood sexual abuse and subsequent
depressed mood and general anxiety varied significantly by gender, with females more
likely to experience these impairments; and (3) the associations between childhood
sexual abuse and subsequent eating anxiety, theft, and violent behavior did not vary
by gender.