Physical and sexual assault, and negative perceptions of health: Does age of onset matter?

Purpose: The negative health consequences of physical and sexual assault are fairly well established, yet factors related to the context of assaults are less recognized. This study examines the role of the age of onset of physical and sexual assault on overall perceptions of health and autonomy over health. Methods: Using a follow-up of the original Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study, we use the MIDUS-3 dataset to test hypotheses that earlier age of assault onset is associated with greater negative perceptions of overall health and health autonomy than later onset. Results: We find that physical and sexual assault are associated with greater negative perceptions of health but that age of onset only matters for sexual assault. Assault and age of onset do not matter for health autonomy which is influenced primarily by personality characteristics. Conclusion: Physical and sexual assault are related to overall perceptions of health and should be considered by medical professionals and social services when working with survivors of violence. Personality characteristics are influential in health outcomes and should be considered when devising violence prevention and intervention strategies.