Childhood Sexual Abuse Left Untreated Can Contribute to

Any victim of sexual abuse faces the chance of having their development impacted. This is especially true amongst children. Studies have proven that children who have been sexually abused by a female offender often have different developmental experiences (T.A. Gannon, 2008, p. 356). Mental illness is yet another impact that victims face. Many sexual abuse victims transpire into states of depression, rage, and suicide; they even have strained relationships with certain individuals (Denov, 2014, p.

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 research is to distinguish whether the children, who are exposed to violence or abuse, if left unaddressed or ignored, are at an increased risk for emotional and behavioral problems in the future. Children who are abused may not be able to express their feelings safely and as a result, may develop difficulties regulating their emotions. As adults, they may continue to struggle with their feelings, which can

Being sexually abused is a very traumatizing experience, and this form of victimization at a young age only amplifies the situation. The mortifying nature of child sexual abuse often brings along with it changes in the victim's life. Some of the numerous short term effects (problems that impact them while they are still at a young

One of the most perverse traumas experienced by children is sexual abuse. Sexual abuse is an unfortunate reality for many children all over the world. Most

An article written about the effects of sexual abuse in accordance with male victims, claims: “[t]hree perspectives of early family relationships and attachment theory, developmental psychopathology, and trauma theory provide a conceptual understanding as to why some victims are vulnerable to the effects of sexual abuse while others appear resilient to it.” Although the study's main objective is to understand the developmental effects of male CSA survivors, it also notes that the majority of the data collected about the psychological well being of the sample is also representative of female CSA survivors. In a similar study on the repercussions of sexual abuse in male victims, Scott Eastman depicts a table simply explaining the process of coping, or the problems tied to CSA. Much like a story line, there is a beginning a middle and an end after the initial incident, but not all survivors reach the stages of completion and often times face difficulties coping. In the middle stage of the process, is distraction, obsessive review. These are symptoms tied to PTSD, defined as a disorder which a traumatic event causes flashbacks, nightmares, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event. It may reasonably be concluded that the obsessive thoughts are tied to PTSD because reviewing the traumatic experience may give the illusion of understanding to the survivor. In the final Stage of the process, following acceptance, is

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

Children who are physically sexually abused can experience trauma and impediments in the development of the brain. Additionally, Perry (2009) states that the majority of critical structure and functional organization takes place in childhood, and by the age of three the brain has reached 90% of adult size. During this time any experience the child undergoes will last a lifetime. Among the psychological effects of CPSA are intense fear, depression, and anger. Victims also suffer from the long-term effects of

The safety and security of many children across the world are in danger due to physical abuse. Child abuse has been linked to an assortment of changes in the brain which result in psychological, behavioral, and academic problems. While it is unclear whether the population that had been maltreated as children is accurate, physical maltreatment in the first 5 years of life places a child at risk for a variety of psychological and behavioral problems during adolescence. The following three literature reviews attempts to prove and support the premise.

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

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is growing and becoming more prevalent around the world (Aspelmeier, Elliott, & Smith, 2007; Karakurt & Silver, 2014; Mikulincer & Shaver, 2007). As such, CSA acquired concern as being a serious problem in recent decades. CSA is any type of sexual relation with a child, who is unable to consent, through force, threat, or dishonesty to assure participation. Consequently, CSA associates with psychological difficulties, such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Its prevalence in children is currently at 20.7%, lower than physical abuse but, higher than emotional abuse. It has been found that women who were sexually abused as children have a diminished brain volume when seen on a scan and also have more difficulty managing and creating healthy relationships. In victims of child abuse it has also been found that the structure of the hippocampus is altered; this structure is involved in learning and memory. Those who are sexually abused have a more perceived stress response, as a long term effect this can cause issues with immune function, the brain’s natural response to stress and they way the brain copes. Although PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) is commonly used in reference to those who have served in the armed forces, PTSD can also occur in those who have been abused, especially those who have been abused sexually. Even in young children, depression can occur after a traumatic experience. Depression is a million things in itself, it is not the occasional feeling of sadness. It can be the feeling of hopelessness, loss of energy or interest in things once loved, or unexplainable crying. Depression can alter the way someone thinks or acts. Victims of sexual abuse often “check themselves out” and lack self-esteem. This behavior is known as dissociation, it has the power to take away someones’s ability

Before 2010, the programs of educating educators and parents about child sexual abuse have shown facts about the limited image of child sexual abuse that both educators and

The research put forth by Rind et al (1998), while obviously controversial, was delving into other variables that could be correlated to the severity of psychopathology of victims that experienced child sexual abuse. While child sexual abuse is a very sensitive subject, I think this research has benefited the conversation of CSA. There are multiple variables that cause a person’s psychopathology and to blame the mental disorders on strictly one event or multiple events of the same acts is in my opinion naive. In many cases I think that CSA have a major impact on victims but as the research suggests, there are multiple factors that correlate to the psychopathology of victims. One that Rind et al (1998) did not research was the resilience of

There are many forms of child abuse. Not only can children be physically abused, but they are also in danger of experiencing sexual abuse. In the more recent years, child sexual abuse has come to the attention of a larger part of society. As such, it is becoming more openly discussed. Child sexual abuse is a growing problem, and the stories that have begun to circulate around the world work to illustrate just how serious the problem is. Despite what society is lead to believe, the sexual abuse of a child is the least common out of all forms of child abuse. Out of the different types of child abuse, neglect is the most common, followed by physical abuse, and then sexual abuse comes at the bottom. Still, of all the cases of child abuse reported to and substantiated by authorities, approximately 15% of them concerned sexual abuse. ). It is possible that there are more cases of child sexual abuse, however, and they simply are not being reported. Due to the number of undisclosed cases of child abuse, researchers have conducted various prevalence studies over the years to determine the true number of sexual abuse of children. These studies have determined that around 20% of women and 5-10% of men in America in were sexually abused as children. A great deal of controversy surrounds the number of male victims of child sexual abuse, due to a lack of quality studies. The problem with prevalence studies is that they don 't all share the same definition of abuse, nor do they share