The subjects were 217 clients of two substance abuse treatment facilities in Maryland in 1989. Thirty-one subjects (33 percent of the women and 9 percent of the men) reported having been sexually abused as children. Their responses to questions about abuse, distress, and their relationship to their parents differed in only a few respects. They were significantly more likely to report having a father or mother with an alcohol or drug problem, still being troubled by childhood experiences, and having been physically abused as children; they were less likely to have a positive relationship with their mother. Interestingly, they were also more likely, though not to a statistically significant degree, to complete their substance abuse treatment period. Implications for treatment and further research are discussed. 2 tables, 1 endnote, and 17 references