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News release: NationalOctober 2, 2002 For more information, call: Kaiser Permanente research: childhood sexual abuse decreases rate of adult women's cervical cancer screening Oakland, CA – Women who were sexually abused as children are less likely to get Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer, according to research soon to be published in the October issue of the Journal of Family Practice. While researchers and clinicians know that sexual abuse in childhood has long-lasting negative effects on women's health, this study reveals that the negative consequences of childhood sexual abuse also extend to preventive healthcare. Kaiser Permanente researchers Melissa Farley, Ph.D., Jacqueline M. Golding, Ph.D., and Jerome R. Minkoff, M.D. compared 364 female health plan members who received medically appropriate Pap tests with 372 women who had not. Only 36% of the women who were sexually abused as children obtained Pap tests within the past two years, compared to 50% of women who were not sexually abused as children. "Women who were sexually abused in childhood have many risk factors for cervical cancer," said Melissa Farley, PhD., "so it's crucial for them to get screened. Unfortunately, the sexual trauma that increases their risk of disease may also make them less likely to have cancer screening. A pelvic examination may trigger psychological distress in survivors of sexual abuse." Drs. Farley, Golding and Minkoff also note: "This study suggests to us that doctors and nurses should be especially aware of patients who are reluctant to have Pap tests. Those women may have been sexually traumatized as children, in which case they need care for psychological trauma and as well as special outreach to encourage them to obtain Pap tests." This research was supported by a grant from the Kaiser Permanente Direct Community Benefit Investment program. Kaiser Foundation Research Institute , a division of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, provided administrative support. Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health care program. Founded in 1945, it is a not-for-profit, multi-specialty, group-practice prepayment program serving the health care needs of 8.4 million members in 9 states and the District of Columbia with headquarters in Oakland, Calif. Kaiser Permanente has research centers in 8 regions around the United States and publication of KP investigators' work has appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the New England Journal of Medicine, Pediatrics, the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and other peer-reviewed medical journals.
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