The Long Term Effects of Child Sexual Abuse

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.

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.

Sexual abuse can be hard to define because of the many different forms it can take on, the different levels of frequency, the variation of circumstances that can occur. Until a child is fit to function as a self-supporting and informed adult, we have an obligation not to take advantage of their lack of power or protection to inflict damage, or demand submission to acts that are not in their own best interests within. Children are being abused every day in different countries. While commonly accepted wisdom had been that childhood sexual abuse results in long lasting negative outcomes.

The most common immediate effect is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or “PTSD.” Other negative immediate effects may include depression, anxiety, promiscuity, general behavioural problems, poor self-esteem, and disruptive behaviour disorders. Potential long term effects of sexual abuse include depression, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), sexualized dysfunction, and substance abuse, prostitution, low self-esteem, STD’s and flashbacks. These can cause vulnerable adults to even kill themselves and not want to live with what has happened to

The long term psychological effects associated with sexual assault includes, depression, substance use, anxiety, PTSD, and decreased self esteem (Foa & Riggs, 1993; Resick, 1993). The authors of this article supports current literature which proposes that African American children receives inadequate or inappropriate sexuality socialization and sexual abuse prevention in their cultures and families which may affect their disclosure of sexual assault in adulthood (Washington, 2001;Wyatt, 1992).

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.

Considering the large number of children who are victims of child abuse, it is important to investigate not only the immediate effects of abuse, but also the long-term effects on the child’s well-being. Exposure to childhood maltreatment is a non-specific risk factor associated with many short and long term negative outcomes ranging from externalizing and internalizing behaviors, dissociative symptoms and self-harm behaviors, and adaptability and coping skills (Jackson, Gabrielli, Fleming, Tunno, & Makanui, 2014). When a child grows up in a home environment characterized by hostile interpersonal relationships, physical maltreatment, or neglect he or she is at risk for long-term developmental concerns regarding physiological, social, emotional,

The conceptualisation of the long-term effects of child maltreatment reflects the surrounding circumstances which expose child abuse as a common event. Childhood abuse is a growing epidemic which evokes extreme emotional responses both privately and publicly and is viewed as a risk factor for an extensive variety of consequent problems. 2014 demonstrated that over 137,585 child abuse cases involving 99,210 Australian children were investigated (Australian Institute of Family Studies 2015). Abuse is categorised into neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. Contrary to the implied supposition that emotional abuse is less injurious in comparison to sexual and physical abuse, emotional abuse ranked as the most commonly substantiated harm type in Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australia Capital Territory (AIFS 2015). Childhood abuse occurs throughout a period where complex and ordered changes occur within a child’s physiological, psychological and sociological being. The following report will accentuate how the state of flux instigated by childhood abuse leaves children susceptible harmful consequences that will pervert or prevent a normal developmental procedure. Through psychological and physiological wellbeing, adult delinquency and the effects on different genders readers will be able to identify the harmful consequences childhood abuse places on victims and survivors.

It has been known, for many years, that childhood maltreatment, including physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, interparental violence, and sexual abuse, has an adverse effect on a developing child. These effects have been thought to be linked to adults later having cognitive deficits and mental disorders when compared to adults with no history of childhood maltreatment (Tomoda, Polcari, Anderson, & Teicher, 2012). It has also been shown that adults who experience childhood maltreatment are more prone to many medical illnesses than their healthy counterparts (Keeshin, Cronholm, & Strawn, 2012). With more recent advances in technology, scientists have been able to research exactly how childhood maltreatment affects development through methods such as MRI, fMRI, and genetic tests (Teicher, Anderson, & Polcari, 2012). Using these findings, scientists have begun to show how childhood maltreatment affects adults later in life. The following literature will support the claim that childhood maltreatment leads to abnormal neurological development which can later have adverse effects on the adult’s mental and physical health.

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

Physical: Sexual abuse is the involvement of vulnerable adults that are involved in sexual activities, they were force to take part in. Such as rape or other sexual activities. This may take place in health and social care setting such as care homes, residential homes and the service users own home. Short terms effects may be short term but still have a lasting effect on the individual’s health and well-being, such as sexual transmitted infections for example medication can be taken to get rid of the infection but also can have lasting long terms effect on the individuals which can leave them with irreversible illness such as HIV which will be with them for life. They may

The purpose of this study was to show how childhood sexual abuse (CSA) victims often are faced with negative psychological and emotional consequences which have profound effects on their lives, as well as their sexuality. The intent of the authors was to show the occurrence of CSA among different women populations, and how it negatively affects them for the rest of their lives. The authors also discuss different suggestions for counselors dealing with these CSA victims, and how they must have a vast understanding of how these women compromise their sex lives

Oftentimes people consider sexual abuse to only include sexual penetration, but that is not the case. “Sexual abuse contains: luring, convincing, using, corrupting, forcing and constraining the minor in participating in sexual activities or assisting other persons during such activities which serve for pleasing the adult” (Boglut, 23). Much like neglect, sexual abuse constitutes a wide range of actions. Child sexual abuse has been found to cause the child fear in contacting children their own age, isolation, low concentration, avoiding situations such as gym class where he or she has to change, sleep disorders, and self-destructive behaviors (Boglut, 23). Additionally, mental health disorders are more prominent in adults who were sexually abused as children compared to adults who were not sexually abused as a child; these mental health problems include “depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance misuse, suicidal behavior, personality disorders and dissociation” (BAK-KLIMEK et al, 551). Mental health consequences often are long-lasting and follow the child into adulthood proving child sexual abuse has life long

The research study by Felitti, Anda et al, examined the relationship between household dysfunction and childhood abuse to many cause of death in Adults. These researchers hypothesized that increased in numbers of childhood abuse exposures has long-term relationship with adult morbidity and mortality rate. Childhood abuse seems to be “woven into a person’s soul, perhaps for one’s entire life time (DeFrain et al, 2003). And the frequency of childhood abuse and/or neglect is associated with different health risks behaviors, attitudes towards health, diseases and adult death. These traumas have immediate and long-term consequences on survivors’ physical and emotional development (Garcia, Adams, Friedman & East, 2002). It was also observed that

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.