Childhood Sexual Trauma

Studies have shown a clear correlation between childhood sexual assault (CSA) and negative sexual experiences later in life. Of relevance to the criminal justice system, these later forms of sexual victimization include sexual assault and sex work. The relationship between CSA and adverse sexual development is a correlation between two things, not a direct pathway from cause to effect. While survivors of sexual assault are at a higher risk of experiencing these later forms of victimization, this correlation represents a highly complex process involving a wide range of mediating factors and the intersections between them. Any experience of sexual assault is highly traumatic. Survivors of CSA, however, represent a unique population, because their trauma occurs near the start of the human developmental process and therefore alters all development thereafter.

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.

The last of the characteristics of childhood trauma are changed attitudes about life, people, and future possibilities (Terr, 1999). The traumatized child may lose hope of a fruitful future, may despise a particular gender due to abuse, or may even desire close contact with the same gender of the perpetrator. A last example demonstrating a traumatic characteristic is through a 16-year-old female client. A male family member sexually and physically abused this client as a child. Although most sexual assault victims may avoid persons of the same gender of the perpetrator, as described above, there are also victims that try to gain the attention of persons with the same gender of the perpetrator. This client demonstrates just that. The client is exceedingly flirtatious with male peers and staff of her residential facility. She has been caught several times attempting to perform sexual acts with her male peers and at times becomes very angry when she is not given the attention she desires from a male peer.

After reading, it is logical and makes sense that higher the amount of exposure to childhood trauma would affect someone later in life. These experiences have the ability to cause greater health issues because of it (Stevens, 2014). This aligns with my working knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) research which I have learned from my mentor. This topic is big for her as she works with children and families in our communities for a living. She is aware of my past of being in foster care and has educated me how ACE research pertains to me. A while back she started naming off experiences, asking if I had them in my life, with the goal of educating me about how high my ACE score is and that it makes sense that I got cancer three years

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

& Li, 2001). With the brain developing at its fastest rate in childhood, it is especially

As many as one in three females have experienced sexual abuse by the age of 18 (Russell, 1986). Many survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) experience negative psychological symptoms (Browne & Finkelhor, 1986; Kendall-Tackett, Williams, L. M., & Finkelhor, 1993). These women may later in life engage in relationships. The negative impact of sexual abuse could result in challenges faced by the relationship due to shame and difficulty with trust (Kochka & Carolan, 2002; MacIntosh & Johnson, 2008). CSA may also result in sexual challenges for the couple (Kochka & Carolan, 2002). Research has found that couples therapy can be of significance to the healing of the CSA survivor as well as functioning and growth in the relationship (Kochka &

Family violence is always disheartening. Childhood sexual abuse is by far the worse. There are many forms of childhood sexual abuse. The sexual abuse can involve seduction by a beloved relative or it can be a violent act committed by a stranger. Childhood sexual trauma causes psychological, interpersonal, and behavioral. This paper will show a first account of the impact of childhood trauma.

Since beginning the Early Childhood Trauma project little has not surprised me. When we first discussed the project and learned that the men volunteered to participate in this study due to personal desire I was shocked. Maybe it is due to my personal biases, but I would never expect these men, who have mainly negative experiences with institutions to participate in an institutionally based intervention project. The men volunteering for this project indicated that I should attempt to limit guiding my process by preconceived notions and instead be as partial as possible. My lack of understanding, misconceptions and absence of personal experience that relates to these topics no doubt is partially why I find the majority of the information surprising. However, the experience of our first meeting, which I am examining here, was surprising for a different set of reasons. There were several moments during our meeting with DeAndre, Luis, Angle, Junito and Ron I would classify as 'disorienting', and I will reflect and synthesize them in the following paper. They apply to atmosphere, unforeseen commonalities and knowledge,

Traumatic events are defined as those in which an individual experiences, witnesses, or confronted with actual or threatened death, serious injury, or threatened physical integrity of self or others (DSM-V). Children are exposed to various experiences that can be traumatic for them. Childhood traumatic experiences may stem from experiences that were of a violent nature, physical, psychological or sexual. Children are often witnesses to physical violence in the homes, domestic violence against the parent. They are exposed to gun violence, drugs/substance abuse, and homelessness. Some children live in households where family members are incarcerated, mentally ill or have experienced a tragic loss as a result of death.

The client reported she was involved in a car accident in 2012 where her vehicle spun out of control. She denied she sustained any medical injuries. Stephanie reported she has experienced childhood trauma. Reportedly, when she was 8yoa her 12 year old cousin sexually molested her. She indicated, she informed her aunt, but was told not to say anything else about the incident. She also shared as an adult, her cousin whom molested prepositioned her to have sex with one of his friends. She stated she felt like a prostitute and a "piece of her had died." She further shared, she was raped by a male student, which resulted in a short term physically abusive relationship for four months. She stated she after they dissolved the relationship he admitted

Childhood emotional abuse (CEA) appears to be more novel in the research world in comparison to physical and sexual abuse. However, with the research that has been conducted, there are clear suggestions that CEA has similar, if not more severe, consequences to childhood physical abuse (CPA) and childhood sexual abuse (CSA) (Gibb, Chelminski, & Zimmerman, 2007). For instance, research by Gibb and associates (2007) found that participants who reported experiencing CEA were more likely to also have major depressive disorder and social phobia, than those who reported experiencing CPA or CSA. The research by Gibb et al. suggests that CEA may be more detrimental than CPA or CSA to the psychological development of a child. However, what is missing

Although some kinds of sexual behaviors are quite common among non-abused children (for example, kissing, touching genitals manually), sexually abused children tend to engage in a greater number of sexual behaviors than their non-abused peers, many of which are developmentally talented and seemingly imitative of adult sexual activity. Such behavior not only may result in interpersonal rejection or stigmatization by the victim 's peer environment, but also may lead to social sanctions and punishments when it escalates into the victimization of other children. As adults, survivors report a greater fear of both men and women. They are more likely to remain single and, once married, are more likely to divorce or separate from their spouses than are those without sexual abuse histories. Sexual abuse survivors typically report having fewer friends, less interpersonal trust, less satisfaction in their relationships, more maladaptive interpersonal patterns and greater discomfort, isolation, and interpersonal sensitivity. It is said that adults victimized as children may see themselves as unworthy of relationships with people they consider good or healthy, and that some victims may attempt to gain mastery over the abuse experience by recreating it in the form of involvement in poor or abusive relationships. In

Childhood Sexual Abuse can lead to PTSD, feelings of shame, a poor sense of self and low self-esteem, dissociation, depression, difficulties with future adult romantic relationships, substance abuse, sexual dysfunction, and suicidality (Anderson & Hiersteiner, 2008; Day, 2009; Nasim & Nadan, 2013; Russell & Davis, 2007; Saha, Chung, & Thorne, 2011). Current treatments for Childhood Sexual Abuse survivors include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Exposure Therapy (Russell & Davis, 2007). Factors that influence recovery for Childhood Sexual Abuse survivors are disclosure of the abuse, making meaning of the events surrounding the abuse, and cultivating support through individual or group

Around the world there are sexual abuse victims suffering everyday from fear, pain, and emotions. “20.7% of adults report being sexually abused as a child” (Child Help, 2011). Often between the lines sexual abuse can be classified as a wide range of actions between a child and adult. Among many individuals that have been sexual abused on a legal criteria later report the emotions of feeling scared or hopeless in later relationships. Studies show that these sexual abuse survivors have negative emotional reactions toward the abuse and current sexual reactions (Aaron, 2012). These alarming rates have called for powerful policy and practice methods to acknowledge the urgent need to do more to prevent and respond appropriately