Childhood abuse and multiple addictions: Research findings in a sample of self-identified sexual addicts

Abstract

Abstract Awareness of multiple addictions has increased in recent years. However, studies designed to investigate key factors in the multiply addicted individual are scarce in the literature. This study uses a national sample of sexual addicts (n = 290) to examine the relationship between the frequency of childhood abuse and the number of reported addictions in adulthood. The study employed correlations and a multiple regression to examine this relationship and its application to predictability. Low to moderate correlations were found to exist between the frequency of the three basic forms of abuse (sexual, physical, emotional) and the number of reported addictions in adulthood. In addition, the regression was also found to be statistically significant; however, the multicollinearity of the three types of abuse was a confounding factor in this study. Implications for all results and future studies are discussed.