The Long Term Effects of Child Sexual Abuse
Shannon Baughman
North Florida Community College
Human Growth and Development DEP 2004
Professor James Moses II
Abstract
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
…show more content…
Victims are prone to painful, unsatisfying, obligatory, orgasm lacking sex. Sexual problems can include arousal issues, spasms of the vagina and flashbacks, not to mention emotional issues related to sex such as sexual guilt, anxiety and low self-esteem (Finkelhor and Browne, 1985, 1988). Victims may feel like they are supposed to be intimate with a partner instead of wanting to be and that leads to feelings of irritability, hate and resentment (www.psychologytoday.com, Laumann, Piel and Rosen, …show more content…
Those children grow into adults with problems in their relationships and with depression, anxiety, substance abuse and many other issues, if left untreated. There are treatments and therapies for victims of sexual abuse. There will never be a prevention for this awful problem, but if as parents, educators and family members, we can recognize the red flags, these children can get the treatment and help they deserve to live fulfilling and happy lives.
References
Beutler, L, (1992), Process and outcome research in the treatment of adult victims of child sexual abuse, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Pyschology
Chard, Kathleen M., (2005), Journal of Consulting and Clinical Pyschology An evaluation of cognitive processing therapy for the treatment of PTSD related to child sexual abuse, para. 3
Cohen, J., (2008), www.ptsd.va.gov
Laumann, (1999), www.psychologytoday.com
McNaly, R., (1998), Directed forgetting of trauma cues in adult survivors of child sexual abuse with and without PTSD, Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Perry, B., (2013), www.childtrauma.org
Rosenburg, A., (2013), Academy of children and adolescent psychiatry, www.aaets.org
Tracy, M., (n.d.), www.healthyplace.com
Wilson, J., (2006), Sexual assault and PTSD, www.ncbi.nlm.nmh.gov
No author, (2009),
This paper reviews several articles that discuss the lasting effects that sexual abuse can have on a child into their adult years. The articles agree that victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) will most likely suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or experience revictimization. This paper will also address the common forms of coping that victims of child sexual abuse take part in. Some research will touch on proper healing techniques for victims of CSA to receive.
Child sex abuse results in the most extreme trauma similar to the massive trauma of concentration camp survivors. Most have obsessive-compulsive behaviors and intrusive memories which they try to self-medicate for by drug use. They are trying to self-medicate their PTSD symptoms and the sad thing is once they are off drugs then they are dealing with the extremely painful PTSD symptoms and life does NOT SUDDENLY BECOME
Sexual abuse is a prevalent crime that can have numerous short and long term effects on a victim. It describes as any form sexual activity that is accomplished by force or threat where consent is not given. This includes rape, molestation, incest, and other similar forms of non-consensual sexual contact. The effects of sexual abuse are not the same for every victim, victims may feel varied responses and emotions that can depend on own situations. The act of abuse may had happened a long time ago or be more recent.
Herb was a very loving little boy, who always tried to make everyone around him happy. He would climb up in your lap at the age of two or three, and whisper in your ear “I’m your boy, but don’t tell nobody”. Growing up, Herb was an accomplished athlete, and performed reasonably well academically. As Herb reached adulthood, he always took great strides to make the people around him feel happy and special. It was not unusual to find him helping his father on the farm or working on his sister’s car. The only payment he wanted was to see their smile and know he had helped. In adulthood, his little girl became the light of his life and no one suspected that there was a problem. Until the morning, his wife walked
Victims of sexual assault suffer from a wide variety of mental and emotional issues throughout their lives as a result of the experience. Results can range from depression, anger, feelings of loneliness, and difficulty when trying to formulate relationships of trust (Hyde 45). Victims experience a wide variety of psychological issues as a result of sexual crimes, which they will have to carry with them throughout their entire lives. Also, “Psychological problems can start later in life with changes in behavior- vague fears, feeling unprotected and helpless, nightmares, bedwetting, sleeping problems, fear to loss parents approval/love, need to please others, poor self esteem, anger, depression, withdrawal from activities, daydreaming, difficulty concentrating, behavior problems” (Hyde 47).
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
Throughout the duration of this course, we can establish that neglect is a form of child maltreatment. By definition, child neglect occurs when the child’s parent or caretaker fails to provide basic, fundamental needs to the child (e.g., physical, emotional, medical, or educational) (Miller-Perrin & Perrin, 2013). It is a maltreatment that commonly begins at an early age and can be built to something more chronic in his/her life (Hildyard, 2002). Initial neglect can result in short-term consequences such as anxious or disorganized style of attachment; recognizing and distinguishing emotion in others; and intelligence and problem-solving skills (Rhoades, 2017). However, the consequences can persist and develop long-term. This paper will investigate
At times it can be difficult for even the most loving parent to recognize and take protective action for their child. An exceedingly large number of child victims never disclose what occurred to them. A sex offender on average molests 120 victims, many of which are never reported (Child Abuse Statistics,
The current research shows that child sexual abuse has a long-lasting impact on attachment style from early childhood continuing into adulthood. Fresno et al. (2014) were interested in the attachment representations in preschool aged children in Chile because few studies focus on CSA survivors that young and the results of those few studies have not been conclusive. Past studies have found inconsistent results; some studies have determined a CSA is directly linked to insecure attachment representations in survivors, and other studies have found no differences in self-representation among children with CSA history and non-abused children and furthermore, children who were sexually abused had more positive representations of themselves than
When most people think of “child abuse”, the disturbing news stories of young girls being raped or sexually exploited come to mind but that’s not the only side of it. People seem to only consider physical abuse armful when emotional and mental abuse is just as bad, if not worse.
Molestation goes unnoticed in children and young adults due to children being too traumatized to admit they are being or have been molested. When children experience molestation at a young age, they will start to act to act out in school and at home. When children are molested at a young age it can cause them to engage in violent behaviors towards other kids. They can start plenty of fights during school which will eventually lead them to being kicked out of school. Another way they can act out is during
“Child abuse started in the 1980s” (bays) all the way until now. Child abuse has a long term and short term effect on a child who has been abused or still being abused by their parents or their care takers. Thiers many different types of child abuse, such as physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Information on child abuse and how to tell if the child is being missed treated inside their homes, and how to get help for the children.
The historical overview of child’s childhood had always being depicted as nonexistent. Abuse and neglect were part of their everyday day lives. Children were supposed to be as efficient as an adult but yet were limited to the wants and needs of their parents, as they were view as belonging to them. I was not until recently that the maltreatment towards children was broken down into four categories which are physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect. On this paper I will be focusing sexual abuse; the long term impact of sexual abuse in the child’s cognitive abilities as well behavior and the overall emotional state and how resiliency plays a roll on the child’s overall adjustment.
Statistically, girls are more often the victims of sexual abuse. However, it is also proven that males do not report their victimization as often, and therefore this might skew the statistics. (http://www.apa.org/releases/sexabuse/victims.html) The effects of childhood sexual abuse on the victims are wide ranging and long lasting. Behavioral problems are often wide ranging. Children will often act out in strange and different ways. They cannot emotionally cope with the issues that they have been given. Often out of shame or guilt, they will also keep the abuse to themselves. The emotional problems can develop into depression, anxiety, guilt, fear, sexual dysfunction, withdrawal, and acting out. (http://www.apa.org/releases/sexabuse/effects.html) If these issues are not treated
Sexual abuse causes long lasting effects that follow a person into adulthood. This results in issues in forming strong and healthy relationships as adults. Furthermore, when involved a child and a parental figure, these issues become even more prominent, as they affect relationships both at home and in personal life. Through her poetry collection, Rupi Kaur expresses her own experience with the sexual abuse she experienced. The first section of Milk and Honey displays how sexual abuse affects the way Kaur views sex and love, as well as its affect on her relationship with her parents. The next three sections follow Kaur’s path towards healing and learning to love herself. Milk and Honey presents the negative effects felt by victims of