Is it easier to recover from sexual abuse if you cannot recall who assaulted you as a child? The main character, Kendra, in Cheryl Rainfield’s young adult novel, Scars, would beg to differ. Kendra is a survivor of ritual childhood sexual abuse and while she remembers all the gory facts and is constantly in fear of her abuser striking again, she cannot force her mind to bring his face to her memory. Without knowing her attacker’s identity, all she can do to cope with her depression, paranoia, and anxiety is to self-harm like it is second nature. However, Kendra confides in her therapist, Carolyn; a family friend, Sandy; and newly made love interest, Meghan, to help herself and potentially uncover her abusers. As she gets closer and closer to …show more content…
These children were victims of pedophilia, which is defined as the sexual attraction towards prepubescent children, and likely all of them have also dealt with the psychological, emotional and biological side effects. Female sexual abuse survivors, when examined under brain scans, showed diminished brain volumes and even the structures and functions of various parts of their brains - including the emotional core, memory storage, and the way neurons carry information - were vastly different compared to non-sexual abuse survivors. The brain’s ability to subsist stress is hindered which “has a long-term effect on immune function” (Wilson). Healing processes are also affected by sexual traumas. Depending on when the sexual abuse occurred or how severe it was, these biological changes can range anywhere from moderate to crippling. In Scars, the main character displays many of the psychological and emotional impacts this abuse may lead to. Victims of sexual abuse often experience depression, which can lead to self-destructive activities, and disassociation. These victims also come to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Additionally, PTSD is often comorbid with guilt, shame, a sense of being vulnerable or exposed, anger, and as though they have no control (Joyful Heart Foundation). These effects may last for an exceedingly long period of time and a …show more content…
These measures may include relapse therapy, a common therapy for alcoholics; adverse conditioning, which makes a pedophile associate their desires for children with something negative like shock therapy; and chemical castration, where pedophiles may be forced to take drugs to lower their sexual drive (Pedophilia: A Guide to the Disorder). Society strongly alienates those who have this attraction towards children, leaving them to find ways to cope on their own which may actually drive them to act on their attractions more than if they had help. Society also refuses to see pedophilia as a mental illness (a paraphilia much like bestiality; sadism; and frotteurism) instead of a choice an adult actively decides to have. Even in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) 5, the line between the potential criminal implications and the psychology of a Pedophilic disorder was not drawn. Moreover, there is nothing to be said that marks a Pedophilic disorder as anything but a criminal case of child sexual abuse rather than a psychiatric condition. However, the DSM-5 has stated that if a pedophile’s persistent sexual attraction towards children causes “distress or some other significant difficulties” (Berlin), there is proper evidence of a disorder. This is very contradicting, but many other disorders follow the same rubric for diagnosis; they have to hinder a
“Numerous studies have demonstrated that experiencing child abuse can lead to a range of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems” (Moylan, 2010). Precious’s internalization of depression and emotional numbing are all factors that contribute to her self-concept. Study shows that “childhood sexual abuse has been correlated with higher levels of depression, guilt, shame, self-blame, eating disorders, somatic concerns, anxiety, dissociative patterns, repression, denial, sexual problems, and relationship problems” (Hall, 2011). The implications of sexual abuse are often detrimental to the mental state of an adolescent. Psychiatric evaluations show that Precious suffers from symptoms of PTSD and Major Depression
Especially in the book Miss America by Day, it mentioned about one of the maltreatments called incest (Maltreatment is intentional harm to or endangerment of a child, Incest is a sexual relations between persons closely related.). Like in the situation of Marilyn, author of the Miss America, she went through incest with her father at the age of five to eighteen, so until she became an adult it was very hard for her to tell her own story to anybody because she was afraid nobody would believe in her. Like the Child, Family, School, Community says, “the closer the victim and offender are emotionally, the greater trauma the victim experiences.” I agree with this statement, it is true that the closer the offender to the victim which the greater the trauma victim experiences. Some of the maltreatments are temperament of the child, marital distress, unemployment, lack of community support, and cultural values such as tolerance of violence can be considered as maltreatment. Other symptoms are poor social skills with peers of their own age(s), unable to trust other people, feel depression, commit suicide, have self-destructive, and confusion about their sexuality. It also said that high percentage of drug abusers, juvenile runaways, and prostitutes have been sexually abused when they were children. But for Marilyn Van Derbur felt very depressed and had temperament, but she coped with her pain by socializing and acting out as if nothing happened to her because she has to keep it as secret from everybody else ( Child, Family, School,
Reviewing the 12 Core Concepts of the National Child Trauma Stress Network, James is suffering from three of the 12 concepts. Number 1 core concept, Traumatic experience are inherently complex. Traumatic experiences are inherently complex no experience are the same varying degrees of objective life threat, physical violation, witnessing of an injury or death. The victim perceives their surroundings and decides what is best for them now safety and self-protection. Number 4 core concept, A child or adolescent can exhibit an extensive range of reactions to suffering and loss. Number 9 core concept, the developmental neurobiology triggers a youth’s reactions to traumatic experience. In this paper, we will be covering another trauma that affects the social worker or case worker who works on these cases of
When a late adolescent or adult is primarily or exclusively attracted to a minor child sexually they become diagnosed with the psychiatric disorder pedophilia. Mostly a person is not diagnosed with this disorder unless they have had this attraction for six months or longer. This attraction can be in the form of fantasies which are sexually arousing to the perpetrator, or the urge to engage in sexual activities with a minor child. In addition, in order to be diagnosed the molester will have to have acted on these urges or suffered from some type of distress, which will be result from having these feelings. Also the molester should be at least sixteen years old with the victim being younger than them by a minimum of five years.
1.When a youth goes through suffering (ex. domestic violence, abusive relationships, etc.), numerous complications emerge throughout their development. They may be consumed by irritability, suspicion, and trust issues and have behavioural patterns, including paranoia, dishonesty, and impulsive behaviour. Others develop personality disorders similar to PTSD. The long-term effects of child abuse are also shown through the movie character Will Hunting who suffered child abuse in foster care and now is an impulsive man who refuses to reach out for help. Although, there are exceptions for negative development in those who have experienced childhood trauma.
In a scene, Atwone quote, “is it possible for someone like me to be cured(Washington,2002)?” He constantly worried about Cheryl not wanting to be with him because he had so many issues in his life. Antwone was a victim of sexual abuse as a child, by a family member. He expressed that she made him do things to her unwillingly, and also that she physically abused her. This trauma that Atwone suffered as a child, also affected his relationship with women. Sexual abuse can have long-term affects on an individual that can cause problems like depression, sexual dysfunctions, symptoms of posttraumatic stress and in Atwone case, fear of future relationships (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2016
“...an individual with [pedophilia] has the same ingrained attraction that a heterosexual female may feel towards a male, or a homosexual feels towards their same gender.” (Johnston, Pg. 1). Pedophilia - “the fantasy or act of sexual activity with children who are generally age 13 years or younger” (American Psychiatric Association, p.1) - a word that holds multiple negative connotations, is often seen as aberrant thought process or behavior, and is under debate as to whether or not it’s a sexual orientation. But can it be considered a sexual orientation? As a member of the LGBT community, this issue has surfaced among us and shocked the majority.
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.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSMIV), defines pedophilia as a person having an intense and recurrent sexual urges towards and fantasies about prepubescent children and on which feelings they have either acted or which cause distress or interpersonal difficulty.
What happens during a child’s first years can be very crucial in how this individual turns out in adulthood. “Recurrence of episodes involving physical, emotional, or sexual abuse in the childhood.” (Diseases 1: Pais 3) Which means when a child experiences one of these traumatic events constantly they try to seek comfort. This is wher...
Recently there has been an extreme debate between "false" vs. "repressed" memories of abuse. A false memory is created when an event that really happened becomes confused with images produced by trying to remember an imagined event. The term false memory syndrome refers to the notion that illusionary and untrue memories of earlier child abuse can be 'recalled' by adult clients during therapy. In an increasingly polarized and emotive debate, extreme positions have been adopted, on one side by those believing that recovered memories nearly always represent actual traumatic experiences, for example, Fredrickson (1992) who argues for a 'repressed memory syndrome' and, on the other side, by those describing a growing epidemic of false memories of abuse which did not occur. (Gardner, 1992; Loftus, 1993; Ofshe & Watters, 1993; Yapko, 1994).
Recovered memories of childhood trauma and abuse has become one of the most controversial issues within the field of psychology. Controversy surrounding repressed memory - sometimes referred to as the memory wars – reached its’ peak in the early 1990s, where there was a rise in the number of people reporting memories of childhood trauma and abuse that had allegedly been repressed for many years (Lindsay & Read, 2001). There are a number of different factors that have contributed to the dispute surrounding recovered memories. Firstly, there is an ongoing debate about whether these types of memories actually exist or whether these accusations arose as a result of suggestive therapeutic procedures. In particular, this debate focuses on two main
Throughout the world, the protection of children is the main priority. When it comes to the United States, pedophiles are recognized as a threat to the wellbeing of kids of ages of 13 and under. Pedophilia is a mental disorder that can be treated; however, there is no cure for it. This means that pedophiles could be aided in a manner that protects both the pedophile and the youth. In the United States pedophilia is viewed more as a criminal case than a mental disorder resulting in criminal cases of pedophilia not decreasing and the endangerment of the pedophile and their mental health.
Trauma relates to a type of damage to the mind that comes from a severely distressing event. A traumatic event relates to an experience or repeating events that overwhelmingly precipitated in weeks, months, or decades as one tries to cope with the current situations that can cause negative consequences. People’s general reaction to these events includes intense fear, helplessness or horror. When children experience trauma, they show disorganized or agitative behavior. In addition, the trigger of traumas includes some of the following, harassment, embarrassment, abandonment, abusive relationships, rejection, co-dependence, and many others. Long-term exposure to these events, homelessness, and mild abuse general psychological
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