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Impact of sexual abuse in childhood on adulthood
Effects of child sexual abuse
Effects of child sexual abuse
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In terms of physical health, victims of child sexual abuse have higher rates of diseases. In fact, when children abused sexually are too young to realize what sexual abuse is, they feel hurtful in some parts of their body especially genitals. However, child sexual abuse is also associated with physical health problems in adulthood. Adult survivors of child sexual abuse are at greater risk of a wide range of conditions that are non-life threatening and are potentially psychosomatic in nature. These include fibromyalgia, severe premenstrual syndrome, chronic headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and a wide range of reproductive and sexual health complaints, including excessive bleeding, amenorrhea, pain during intercourse and menstrual
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of
In the book, Outgrowing the Pain: A Book For and About Adults Abused as Children, Dr. Eliana Gil discusses the causes and effects of traumatic experiences adults abused as children have undergone during their childhood. Throughout the book, Dr. Gil introduces various types of abuse within the family such as emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. Furthermore, Dr. Gil explains how to guide these once mistreated adults to understand and cope with each situation.
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.
Through the assessment of data, examiners reached a general conclusion regarding the permanent somatic and emotional effects of CSA. According to Irish et al. (2009), it was proved that victims of sexual assault undergo extreme depression, eating disorders, anxiety, and terror outbreaks. Likewise, the investigation indicated that these persons exhibited a conversion of their psychological trauma into somatic signs since they developed drastic health issues such as body aching, obesity, gastric complications, and heart and lung illnesses; as a result, victims of child sexual abuse usually get sick more often during middle and old age than other individuals.
Child abuse, while having many different forms and levels of severity, can be basically defined as the maltreatment of a child by a parent or other adult. When one thinks of child abuse, usually the first thing that comes to mind is physical harm, but the issue is actually much more complex. The abuse of a child can also be manifested in verbal and emotional forms, as well as in sexual molestation. All forms of child abuse generally result in similar emotional disorders and behavioral issues, but the major consequences of sexual abuse, such as mental or emotional scarring, promiscuity, and the tendency of former victims to become sexual abusers, cause it to be the most severely damaging form of child abuse.
Some studies have been done to examine the resiliency of victims of CSA. Resiliency can be defined as the ability of a person to adjust to adverse life events or circumstances, or possibly both (Lambie, Seymour, Lee, & Adams, 2002). In terms of CSA, resiliency refers to the ability of a victim to “snap back” into normal life and to successfully cope with the sexual trauma they have been through. When this resiliency is absent, individuals have a hard time adjusting back to normal life and often act out as a result. Research by Lambie et al. shows that female victims of CSA that had a strong social support system self-reported successful lifestyles, stable jobs, and happy lives (Lambie et al., 2002, p. 33). These females also are more likely to have a good relationship with peers and parents, as well as had a positive response to the incident from those peers. On the other hand, lack of support and negative responses towards childhood victimization seem to have a significant negative impact on psychological health and developing behavior (Lambie et al., 2002). Lambie et al.’s research led them to believe that “the critical factor in determining whether someone would become a child molester or not was whether, as a child, they had a close relationship with someone they could confide in” (2002, p. 33). In addition, victims that come from a disadvantaged background are less likely to have this resiliency.
Sexual abuse happens more to teenage girls than teenage boys. Most teens that report sexual abuse have the highest odds of being pregnant. Teen pregnancy can cause a lot of health problems because they are young. This type of abuse can be very emotional for someone to deal with. “Has any adult or older person outside the family ever touched you sexually against your wishes or forced you to touch them sexually?” (Saewyc 98-105). Being sexually abused could hur...
Child abuse is a serious issue in today's society. Many people have been victims of child abuse. There are three forms of child abuse: physical, emotional, and sexual. Many researchers believe that sexual abuse is the most detremental of the three. A middle-aged adult who is feeling depressed will probably not relate it back to his childhood, but maybe he should. The short-term effects of childhood sexual abuse have been proven valid, but now the question is, do the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse affect middle-aged adults? Many contradicting views arise from the subject of childhood sexual abuse. Researchers and psychologists argue on this issue. Childhood sexual abuse has the potential to damage a child physically, emotionally, and behaviorally for the rest of his or her childhood, and the effects have been connected to lasting into middle-aged adulthood.
Childhood sexual abuse has been and continues to be a major issue in American society. Victims of such trauma can illustrate both short-term and long-term side effects, stemming from the damage endured during childhood. In severe cases, unresolved trauma of sexual abuse can have dire consequences. One of the most infamous and publicized case (cases) that illustrated these dire consequences was the Menendez murders of 1989.
Finkelhor, D., & Browne, A. (1985). The Traumatic Impact of Child Sexual Abuse [Abstract]. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 55(4), 530-541. Retrieved from http://sycnet.apa.org/journals/ort/55/4/530/
No means no; a simple statement that so many seem to not understand. Rape is the most underreported and psychologically damaging crime that happens daily. Rape is defined as any kind of sexual intercourse forced upon an unconsenting victim. This is a controversial topic due to the many grey areas that appear when convicting and sentencing individuals accused of this crime. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, or RAINN, "61% of rapes/sexual assults are not reported to the police.
When the topic of abuse comes up, many different forms of abuse pop into individuals heads. Whether its Physical abuse, sexual abuse, verbal abuse or even drug abuse, the list just keeps going. Now take all those different forms abuse and imagine them happening in a family. A father physically abusing his children, a mother verbally berating her daughter about her body image, a child growing up in fear. According to the research by David Wolfe in the Journal of Consulting and clinical Psychology, that the number of children that have suffered a physical injury due to physical abuse is between 1.4 and 1.9 million annually. With such a high number of physical abuse happening to children, one can imagine how high the number of all the
The primary method was conducted using a series of distributed questionnaires to children for my research. The reasons why I used questionnaires are because I think I will obtain appropriate and honest responses which relates to their personal experiences. The data collected was then categorized by data into gender, age from age 8 to10, age 11 to 13, age 14 to16, age 17 to 19 and type of abuse. The surveys were equally distributed, a total of 13 surveys were handed out to children between 8-18 years of age that have been victims of child abuse/ neglect. The questionnaire consisted of 22 questions divided into five parts: multiple choice, background, open, rank order and attitude questions. The answers to most questions were suggested for consistency, and they could be ticked in boxes in a multiple choice format. This survey looked at two different groups of children, males and females. The aim of this research is to find out if child abuse has an effect on the intellectual and emotional development of the child and if it has effect on their adulthood.
It is most important to understand that children and teens of all racial, religious, ethnic, gender and age groups, at all socio-economic levels are sexually abused. Although there are risk factors that may increase the possibility of sexual abuse, sex abuse can be found in all types of families, communities, and cultures (The Scope of, 2016). Childhood sexual abuse is an important issue to address because the impact of sexual does not end when the abuse ends. Childhood trauma follows into adulthood and can have long-range effects. “Survivors of sexual abuse are at significantly greater risks for severe and chronic mental health issues, including alcoholism, depression, anxiety, PTSD and high risk behaviors” (The Scope Of, 2016). Victims may experience traumatic sexualization, or the shaping of their sexuality in “developmentally inappropriate” and “interpersonally dysfunctional” ways (Effects of Child, 2012). “A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal” (Effects of Child, 2012). Overall, the effects and impact of childhood sexual abuse are long lasting and do not diminish when the abuse ends, their childhood trauma follows them into
Understanding the correlation between a child abuse and the possible effects it may have on a growing child is vital. This study suggested that the long-term impacts of child abuse included disease risk factors, adverse quality of life, and mortality. A total of 8,506 participants were utilized ranging from 19-92 years old. Overall, groups were similar in their years of education and gender; however, race was not accounted for evenly. White participants made up about79% of the participant pool while the remainder subjects were of mixed races. The Adverse Childhood Experience Study (ACE) was used to measure the participants. Within this study, three categories of abuse were reviewed: psychological, physical, and contact sexual abuse. The ACE questionnaires were mailed out to all participants, and addressed childhood abuse issues while growing up. The questions were derived from several other screening tests. For example, to identify sexual abuse, questions from the Wyatt Test were used. One question read “As a child were you ever raped or sexually molested?” Results from this study revealed a prevalence and risk increase for those who experienced childhood abuse relating to depression, suicide attempts, poor overall health, and obesity. There was also an indication of increase in the use of illicit drugs and