The study findings include: 43 percent of the women in the sample met the research criteria for having been exposed to childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and of those 43 percent, 69 percent self-identified as having experienced CSA; the women identified as having met the research criteria for CSA experienced more forms of adult sexual risk behavior that included more sex partners, more episodes of unprotected sex, more powerlessness, and more traumatic sexualization; and no significant differences were found in the adult sexual risk behavior of women who met the criteria for CSA and self-identified as having experienced CSA compared to women who met the criteria yet did not self-identify as having experienced CSA. The purpose of this study was to determine whether women's decisions to self-identify as having been exposed to CSA increased their risk for adult sexual risk behavior. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of 481 women recruited from a publicly funded clinic treating individuals for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Participants in the study completed a computerized questionnaire assessing CSA experiences and adult sexual risk behavior. The study results indicate that individuals who experience CSA are at an increased risk for adult sexual risk behavior, whether or not they define their experiences as having been CSA. Implications for future research are discussed. Tables and references