In the course of a 10-year longitudinal investigation of young
Swiss adults, childhood sexual abuse was assessed at the age of 30
years. It was reported by 11.5% of women and by 3.5% of men; 56% of
the females had been abused by relatives (none of the males), 20% by
fathers. Abuse cases tended to be more depressed and anxious; they
reported more suicide attempts and more sexual problems than controls
and also slightly more psychiatric symptoms and neuroticism. Childhood
familial risk factors were more frequent for abuse cases than for
controls. Depression at adult age was more strongly connected with
early familial risk factors than with early sexual abuse.