Coping has been suggested as an important element in understanding the long-term functioning of individuals with a history of child sexual abuse (CSA). The present review synthesizes the literature on coping with CSA, first by examining theories of coping with trauma, and second by examining how these theories have been applied to studies of coping in samples of CSA victims. Thirty-nine studies were reviewed, including 11 descriptive studies of the coping strategies employed by individuals with a history of CSA, 18 correlational studies of the relationship between coping strategies and long-term functioning of CSA victims, and 10 investigations in which coping was examined as a mediational factor in relation to long-term outcomes. These studies provide initial information regarding early sexual abuse and subsequent coping processes. However, the literature is limited by several theoretical and methodological issues, including a failure to specify the process of coping as it occurs, a disparity between theory and research, and limited applicability to clinical practice. Future directions of research are discussed and include the need to understand coping as a process, identification of coping in relation to adaptive outcomes, and considerations of more complex mediational and moderational processes in the study of coping with CSA. Table and references (Published Abstract)