Comparative psychopathology of women who experienced intra-familial versus extra-familial sexual abuse.

The Diagnostic Inventory of Personality and Symptoms (DIPS) was used to assess psychopathology in a clinical sample of 30 women with histories of intra-familial sexual victimization, 22 women with histories of extra-familial sexual victimization, and 30 women with no victimization experiences. The present study examines whether the relative/nonrelative issue is significant to the impact of sexual victimization experiences. A clinical comparison of two point code types indicated that both sexually abused groups could be characterized as suffering an Affective Depressed-Dissociative Disorder. However, profile shapes produced for the intra- and extra-familial abused groups differed. A discriminant function developed via step wise selection procedures incorporated 12 of the 14 scales, correctly classifying 94% of the individuals (49 of 52) as members of the extra or intra-familial groups. Profile analyses, discriminant analyses, clinically descriptive comparisons, and post hoc analyses of individual scales all revealed that psychopathology is much more evident in those who have experienced sexual abuse. Methodological considerations are highlighted and implications for treatment and research are addressed.