[Effects of sexual abuse experiences on therapeutic outcome: study of eating disordered patients 2 years after inpatient psychotherapy].
The incidence of CSA in the general female population is supposed to range between 10 and 40 percent. There has not yet been done much research on how CSA victims differ in comparison to non-CSA patients in regard to psychotherapy outcome. This paper presents the results of a study concerning this problem. 670 female patients suffering from anorexia or bulimia nervosa, who had undergone an inpatient treatment were asked to fill out a questionnaire on their body image two years later. Moreover the patients were asked if their symptomatology persisted, if they had been satisfied with the therapy, how often they were ill (and unable to work) before and after the therapy and if they attempted suicide before or after the therapy. The questionnaires of 393 patients could be evaluated. 21.1% (n = 83) of them had a history of CSA. There were only few statistically significant differences: 1. CSA patients more often improved their attitude towards their head and their genitals in comparison to non-CSA patients. 2. They more often attempted suicide before therapy. 3. After the therapy only among the anorexic CSA patients suicidal attempts happened more often than among anorexics without CSA. These results suggest that CSA patients benefit from an inpatient therapy at least as well as non-CSA patients do. On the other hand further qualitative research is needed to understand more about the individual coping strategies of CSA victims.