Child Sexual Abuse, Dissociation, and Alcohol: Implications of Chemical Dissociation via Blackouts Among College Women

Abstract

The present study examined whether childhood sexual trauma moderated the relationships between dissociation and both problematic college drinking and alcohol-induced blackouts among a sample of college females (N = 156). Cross-sectional data were consistent with the moderation hypotheses. Simple effects showed that the relationship between dissociation and blackout frequency as well as problematic drinking only existed among those with sexual trauma histories (p <. 035), but not among those reporting no sexual trauma exposure (p =. 333). Findings implicate the use of alcohol as a possible maladaptive coping mechanism among college females with childhood sexual trauma.

Keywords:

• Blackout
• childhood sexual abuse
• dissociation
• problematic drinking