Acute and chronic dissociation and somatized anxiety as related to childhood sexual abuse

Minimal research has been done to determine if a relationship exists between dissociative patterns and somatized anxiety found in psychological disorders and various childhood sexual abuse variables. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if there was any relationship between the effects of any one of four variables-1) identity of perpetrator, 2) frequency and 3) duration of abuse experiences, and 4) severity of sexual abuse-and survivor symptomatology of acute dissociation, chronic dissociation, and somatized anxiety. Data from a sample of 226 respondents showed that severity of the sexual abuse experience was positively correlated with acute and chronic dissociation and somatized anxiety. Implications of these findings are explored, including clinical issues and recommendations for future research.