The Cost of Child Sexual Abuse on the Earnings Levels of Adult Survivors

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Child Sexual Abuse and Employment Earnings in Adulthood:

A Prospective Canadian Cohort Study

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Samantha Bouchard, MA

Rachel Langevin, PhD

Francis Vergunst, PhD

Sylvana M. Côté, PhD

Massimiliano Orri, PhD

Marie-Claude Geoffroy, PhD 

Published:February 25, 2023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2023.01.040

Child sexual abuse remains a worldwide concern with devastating consequences on an individual's life. This longitudinal study investigates the associations between child sexual abuse (official reports versus retrospective self-reports) and subgroups by perpetrator identity (intrafamilial and extrafamilial), severity (penetration/attempted penetration, fondling/touching, noncontact), and chronicity (single, multiple episodes) and employment earnings in adulthood in a cohort followed for over 30 years.

Methods

The Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children database was linked to child protection services (official reports of sexual abuse) and to Canadian government tax returns (earned income). The sample included 3,020 individuals in Quebec French-language school kindergartens in 1986/1988, followed until 2017, and assessed with retrospective self-reports at age 22 years. Tobit regressions were used for associations with earnings (ages 33–37 years), adjusting for sex and family socioeconomic characteristics in 2021–2022.

Results

Individuals who experienced child sexual abuse had lower annual earnings. Those with retrospective self-reported sexual abuse (n=340) earned $4,031 (95% CI= –7,134, –931) less annually at ages 33–37 years than nonabused individuals (n=1,320), with pronounced differences for those with official reports (n=20), earning $16,042 (95% CI= –27,465, –4,618) less. Individuals self-reporting intrafamilial sexual abuse earned $4,696 (95% CI= –9,316, –75) less than those who experienced extrafamilial sexual abuse, whereas those self-reporting penetration/attempted penetration earned $6,188 (95% CI= –12,248, –129) less than those who experienced noncontact sexual abuse.

Conclusions

Earnings gaps were highest for severest child sexual abuse (official reports, intrafamilial, penetrative). Future studies should investigate the underlying mechanisms. Improving support for victims of child sexual abuse could yield socioeconomic returns.

I wonder if they took into account those who were in prison and didn't bother filing tax forms? A majority of men in prison have been abused or sexually abused as children. 

A study on the overall cost of child sexual abuse to Canada or the USA, including the cost of imprisoning victims of CSA who go on to abuse others, or have troubles with alcohol or drugs, might be very revealing.