Correlates of Sexual Self-Esteem in a Sample of Substance-Abusing Women

An exploratory study was conducted to investigate the construct of sexual self-esteem of women in substance abuse (SA) treatment. Demographical and abuse data were collected from 99 women in SA treatment centers in New York State in 2006 to explore relationships between demographic, addiction, abuse, and treatment variables and sexual self-esteem. Correlation of scores from the SSEI-W and its subscales and abuse variables were conducted to examine relationships between variables. T-tests showed significant differences between the mean scores of the physical abuse and physical/sexual abuse variables, relationship variables and sexual orientation. Regression analyses examined the effects of abuse, sexual orientation, relationship variables and treatment characteristics. Abuse and sexual orientation remained significant in all of the models and their affect is not influenced by controlling for the other variables. The results are discussed with regard to treatment implications. This study provides evidence of the reliability of this measure in a female substance-abusing population and contributes to the knowledge of sexual self-esteem as it relates to an adult female population of women in SA treatment. Limitations and future directions are discussed, along with proposed clinical use and assessment.