Study participants included 69 female undergraduates. Potential subjects were informed that the study was an eating attitudes investigation but were not told before they volunteered that the study considered the specific issue of sexual abuse. The mean age of participants was 21.1 years; 67 were white, 3 West Indian, and 2 Afro-Caribbean. Each woman completed a questionnaire on eating psychopathology, measures of psychological functioning, and a questionnaire on USE history. Study findings demonstrated that perceived adverse responses to disclosure were associated with greater levels of psychopathology, particularly oral control, dissociation, and self-denigration. Relatively few women, however, reported adverse responses. The authors conclude that a perceived adverse response to disclosure is important in determining the extent of psychological disturbance following childhood sexual abuse. 34 references and 2 tables