Child Sexual Abuse In Adulthood

The effects of childhood sexual abuse carry on with the children forever. To what extent and to what effect does abuse have on children during adulthood? What are the main issues that adults have been abused suffer from in adulthood? Do they have more of a physical issue with preforming with their partner in the bedroom or do they have more of a mental block due to their trauma? The world had been asking these questions for far too long and we need answers on how helping the children of our world. The questions that have been stated have been answered through the two articles that will be summarized below.

This paper explores 11 published articles which report on results from research conducted on the links between child abuse and adult physical and mental health. The articles vary in their themes and ideas of child abuse in relations to trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress, juvenile offenses, and teen dating violence. Other articles suggest adult criminal behaviors, incarceration and parenting styles of those who were abused as children. This paper examines the relationship within one another of how child abuse affects those children in later years and stages of life.

19). A great majority of children that are sexually abused will show moderate to severe symptoms at some point in their life (Hornor, 2010). The degree of symptomatic behavior depends on the type and severity of sexual abuse, the age and gender of the child, the age and gender of the perpetrator, the relationship between the child and the perpetrator, accompanying physical abuse, and the number, frequency, and duration of abuse (Bahali et al., 2010). Short-term effects of CSA include: impulsive behavior (aggressiveness, hostility), emotional distress (anxiety, fear, and somatic complaints), low self-esteem, dissociative symptoms (amnesia, forgetfulness, dreaming, multiple personality disorder, and fainting), and conversion disorder (Bahali et al., 2010). Long-term effects include: post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive disorder, sexual dysfunction, borderline personality disorder, somatization, eating disorders, self-destructive or suicidal behavior, repeated victimization, criminal behavior, substance abuse and prostitution (Bahali et al., 2010). In agreement, Ozbaran et al., (2008) reported that sexually abused children have a high incidence of behavior problems including anxiety, depression, attention problems, aggression, social problems, social withdrawal, and somatization. Genital CSA is

Research has shown that adult survivors of child sexual abuse often have a myriad of physical and psychological symptoms related to the abuse. There is no clinical evidence of any physical symptoms such as sexual dysfunction, chronic pelvic pain, back pain, headaches, suicide attempts, and eating disorders, gastro intestinal or musculoskeletal complaints. It is unlikely that the claimant did not display any additional symptoms or seek treatment for these symptoms.

The article that I read was on long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. The article covers many symptoms that survivors experience as a result of the abuse. Survivors are faced with trust issues, self-blame, and shame. Most of the sexual abuse is performed by someone the child trusts and loves. The effects are many and some that are abused even regress the abuse. Taking that first step to counseling or therapy is the start of the healing process.

Child sexual abuse is an ever-present, psychologically and physically damaging event that occurs daily to hundreds of children. Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is not going away any time soon and the lives of so many precious children are altered forever. These abused children often grow up to be psychologically damaged adults with emotional, cognitive and physical issues that may never be able to be conquered. Far too many adults live with the pain of their secret and it can be quite debilitating. Adults who were abused as children may have many problems in their

increased anxiety, fears, emotional lability, depression, oppositional and conduct disorders, and substance abuse are other reported sequelae to sexual abuse. Interpersonal difficulties, increased rates of re-victimization later in life, and increased risk for suicide are encountered more frequently among child sexual abuse (p. 2).

Childhood sexual abuse is a serious concern that has been associated with long term effects amongst survivors. Using secondary data, this qualitative piece of research explores the long term effects of child sexual abuse in later adult life. The purpose for this study is to create awareness to professionals that sexual abuse effects continue long after the abuse stops thus, sufficient knowledge on the characteristics of the abuse.

Sexual abuse leaves many scars, creating feelings of guilt, anger, and fear that haunt survivors throughout their lives. These traumatic experiences can be detrimental to the victims’ sense of their own sexuality. Numerous individuals who have been abused have trouble pursuing adult relationships and engaging in sex as an adult. The abuse can color a person 's sexuality, preventing the survivor from pursuing a healthy sex life with a caring partner.  Sexual abuse is defined as unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent (Corcoran & Walsh, 2006). An immediate reaction to individuals who have been sexually abused include shock, fear or disbelief. Long-term symptoms include anxiety, fear or post-traumatic stress disorder (Corcoran & Walsh, 2006).

The maltreatment of children occurs at extraordinarily increasing proportions and is becoming a significant health risk to the children it is happening to. One of the major public health concerns should be identifying the risk factors associated with the maltreatment of these children and the just how much resistance these children really have against this abuse. Regardless of how much elasticity the general public in a whole may think these children have against maltreatment, they are still at a major risk of having diminished or compromised psychological and physical health later in life as an adult and are also are at extreme risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Children who were not subject to maltreatment are still

Sexual abuse can be very devastating to an individual both short term and long term. Being a victim of abuse is important to recognize and understand because of the long lasting negative effects of psychological problems and interpersonal distress that are often associated with the abuse (Messman & Long, 2003). Abuse can happen to anyone, young or old, at any time in their life. Childhood abuse, in particular, is believed to increase the likelihood that women will be sexually abused as an adult, because of their vulnerability to form attachments with men who victimize them (Czaja, Dutton, & Spatz, 2008). Some people never experience any kind of abuse, others might be a

Given that this study is looking at multiple variables, it can be helpful to quantify other important characteristics that the participants have. For example, out of the 530 individuals for this study, 84.2 % did not have an offense that was sexual in nature during their juvenile years (n = 446). However, 13.7% had a history of anywhere from 1-6 sexual offenses while they were a juvenile (n = 72). This information was not gathered on 12 individuals (See appendix 2a). Another important variable of this study was identifying how many individuals were victims themselves of sexual assault at any point in their lives. This information was not gathered on 217 individuals. However, of the remaining 313 who were assessed, only 15.7% (n = 83) reported a history of being sexually assaulted at some point in their life (See appendix 2b). To break this down even further, the participants were asked about being sexually abused but only if it happened during their childhood. Out of the 412 participants that were asked about this specific criteria, 8.9% (n = 47) affirmed that they had been a victim of sexual abuse in their childhood, while 61.5% (n = 326) denied this. There were 39 individuals who were assessed but were labeled as experiencing partial abuse. The definition of partial abuse was not clearly stated or explained. These 39 individuals were still included in the study despite only partial evidence (See appendix 2c).

Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are afraid to tell anyone what has happened (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry). Childhood sexual abuse is a traumatic experience affecting the lives of not only the victim, but those close to the victim as well. Many think there is only one person truly traumatized, but in fact, everyone involved is affected. The victim has to deal with their experience the rest of their lives. They may be more at risk for other mental issues as well, including depression. The family involved has to deal with its pain, often causing hardship and discord within the family. This is especially true

Sexual abuse, like any form of abuse, can have an abundance of effects on an individual. One study claims that partnered with sexual abuse, is often a lack of parental involvement (Vigil, Geary, Byrd-Craven, 2005). This may be due to the lack of monitoring the child, or in the case of incest, a lack of respect towards the child. With women, sexual abuse can result in a lack of self worth, low self-esteem, and an unhappy view on their overall body image (Vigil et al., 2005). The researchers also suggest that a child who has been sexually abused may become sexually active earlier in their life compared to

But often more severe are the effects of sexual abuse on a child’s psychological development. Sexual abuse produces “powerful and enduring emotion reactions, including intense shame, anger, and humiliation,” 12 depression, anxiety, withdrawal, guilt, and fear.13 Behavioral differences may be seen in sexually abused children, including sexual interest and acting out, “regressive behaviors…, sleep disturbances, eating problems, behavior and/or performance problems at school, and nonparticipation in school and social activities.”14 Many sexually abused children develop posttraumatic stress disorder. 15 It is important to remember that of the many possible effects of sexual abuse, “there is no one set of symptoms or outcomes that victims experience,” and there are several factors which “affect the amount of harm done to the victim.” 16