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Child sexual abuse is a growing issue or social problem in the U.S. Child sexual abuse is also known as rape, child molestation or sexual assault. Twenty-eight to 33% of women and 12-18% of men were victims of childhood or adolescence sexual abuse (Hall & Hall, 2001). Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number is probably higher due to some children being afraid to tell (Williams, Sawyer and Wahlstrom, 2013) Child sexual abuse is when an adult forces himself or herself upon a child sexually. Child sexual abuse could include fondling, masturbation, penetration and intercourse. It could also be in the form of non-contact such as child pornography and exposing of the body. Child sexual abuse doesn’t impact only a specific race or culture. There is an equal chance of victimization for everyone; however girls are at greater risk. The most common perpetrators of child sexual abuse are family members or someone that the child is familiar with. Men and women can both be perpetrators but there have been more instances where men have perpetrated than women (American Psychological Association). Child sexual abuse can have some short-term and Long-term effects on a child/victim. Different people react differently to situations, so the effects of child sexual abuse vary.
Some short term effects of child sexual abuse are bruising, soreness, difficulty walking maybe even broken bones. Along with those, one could also experience depression, flashbacks, rape trauma, pregnancy, STIs and even suicide. Depression is experienced daily by everyday people but depression from being raped of sexually assaulted is different. You may be extremely sad or crying, have a significant change in weight, loss of energy, inter...
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Interpersonal difficulties are common in a sexually assaulted person. A person having interpersonal difficulties may be withdrawn from society due to their inability to regulate emotion and their way of thinking. Victims with interpersonal difficulties usually remain single and if they marry, they are more likely to divorce than someone who hasn’t been sexually abused. Adults who are sexually abused may have a problem with being intimate. They may be fearful of being vulnerable and maybe even being re-victimized (Briere and Elliot1994). Research has revealed that there is a link between child sexual abuse (CSA) and increased vulnerability in adulthood. This is known as re-victimization. Re-victimization can come in the form of adult sexual assault or abuse, physical abuse or psychological maltreatment (Journal of Interpersonal Violence May 2000).
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.
This paper outlines the consequences of child sexual abuse (CSA) based on the examination of results from multiple researches previously fulfilled concerning the psychological and physical impact of this crime, information of statistics, warning signs detected, victims’ performances, and emotional state. Sexual abuse causes severe trauma on child victims that will last for the course of their lives, therefore it is critical to identify and improve the therapeutic methods utilized to treat CSA survivors.
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.
An estimated 39 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse exist in America today (Darness2Light, 2009a ). This figure continues to grow daily as perpetrators of this crime continue in this destructive path. The definition of child sexual abuse is the force, coercion, or cajoling of children into sexual activities by a dominant adult or adolescent. Sexual abuse of children includes touching (physical) sexually including: fondling; penetration (vaginal or anal using fingers, foreign objects or offenders organs; oral sex, or non-physical contact including: sexual comments; indecent exposures; masturbating in a child’s presence; child prostitution or child pornography (Child Welfare, 2009a).
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.
Sexual abuse negatively affects a young child’s neurological development. It causes toxic stress, a type of stress which children are unable to manage by themselves. 7 According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, exposure to toxic stress during early childhood can impair and disrupt development of brain circuits, which “can cause an individual to develop a low threshold for stress, thereby becoming overly reactive to adverse experiences throughout life.”8 High levels of stress hormones can also affect the child’s immune system and cause “cog...
A strong incidence of long-term psychological problems exists for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. George (1996) found that adults who had experienced childhood sexual abuse were twice as likely to suffer from mental health disorder when compared to their counterparts who were nor abuse.
When you think of child abuse, what comes to your mind? Child abuse happens all over around the world and so many children are physically abused, sexual abused, emotional abused and even neglect. When you abuse your child, it leaves a big impact on them. Not only does it leaves an impact on their life, but also in their hearts. it will be explaining all of the different types of child abuse, the long and short term effects of each one of them and the warning signs.
The effects of child abuse are multiple. The pain and trauma the abused child goes through is just a small part of how this cauldron of hidden depravity in our society affects all of us. Wrecked lives can be seen in persons of all ages and in all walks of life. Society as a whole is also effected by child abuse both in negative and positive ways. In this essay I will present some of the factor and results of this violent behavior on individuals as well as our culture.
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
One of the most obvious and damaging results of child abuse is death; however, research illustrating the effects on a growing child who has been abused has demonstrated many other lifelong negative factors (Felitti, Anda, Nordenberg, Williamson, Spitz, Edwards, Koss, Marks, 1998). In consonance children who suffer from abuse can show signs of depression, social withdraw, and even violent behavior. As a child grows older, they may suffer from poor physical health, such as high blood pressure, obesity, stress, and psychological disorders and disabilities (Herronkohl, T., Hong, Klika, and Herronkohl, R., 2013). Child abuse and neglect have also been associated with depression, anger disorders, and post-traumatic
It includes fondling, rape, and exposing a child to other sexual activities. Irrespective of how childhood sexual abuse is defined it generally has significant negative and pervasive psychological impact on its victims.(Ratican,K. 1992) Effects of Child Sexual Abuse Physical Effects Adults abused as children are ten times more likely to suffer from physical ailments such as chronic pain/body aches ranging from minor to severe. Many adult survivors of child sexual abuse become addicted to drugs and alcohol, While men don’t seem to have any physical symptoms specific to them, women may experience pelvic pain, gynecological problems, painful intercourse, discomfort/retraumatization during a gynecological exam and childbirth may trigger old feelings and memories. (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007) Sexual Effects
Introduction Did you know that one in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18 (“Child Sexual Abuse,” 2014)? Childhood sexual abuse is an underreported crime which leads people to believe that it is not a large problem within our country. Sex abuse can be both a traumatic and confusing experience for the children who are victimized; no matter who commits the crime. Childhood sexual abuse perpetrators can be anyone including; mothers, fathers, other relatives, babysitters, priests, educators, neighbors, or complete strangers. Although there are many controversies about child sexual abuse within a family, this paper will be looking at child sexual abuse committed by someone of no relation to the victim; and more
Sexual violence aimed at children and adolescents is a very volatile area. According to Cruise (2014), 12 of every 1,000 children in the United States were reported abused or neglected in 2001. Of those abused, more than 86,000 (9.6%) of the nearly 1 million children maltreated in 2001 experienced some kind of sexual abuse. Estimates from incidence and prevalence studies suggest that 1 in 4 girls and one in 8–10 boys are sexually abused by the age of 18 (Cruise, 2014). As social workers in this field, this awareness is indispensable.
The effects of the abuse a child undertakes can include lower academic achievement, adult criminality, and mental health problems which affect their social capabilities. (Hendrie 17) Many children who have grown up being abused are unable to trust and understand other people. This causes the child to be very scared and isolated making it very difficult for the child to develop any type of relationship. (RC Psych 2015)