Primary health care for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Increasing numbers of adults have been seeking help for childhood sexual abuse in recent years. Dearth of services led to the formation of a resource network from a range of health and welfare services in an inner region of Melbourne. Information gathered through the network indicates that adult survivors presented to primary health agencies in distinct ways. Some sought help primarily for sexual abuse, while others sought help for physical or emotional problems, with Sexual abuse remaining masked. Yet others were prevalent in welfare settings, such as women's refuges. Generalist workers in such settings had varied levels of expertise in providing adequate help. When seeking to refer their patients because of concerns about suicide, they found appropriate referral difficult. Public sector mental health workers did not readily undertake work in childhood sexual abuse, and medical practitioners were relatively unaware about the relevance of childhood sexual abuse to physical and emotional ill-health.