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Child sexual abuse effects in adulthood
Long term effects of childhood abuse
Psychological effects of child sexual abuse
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Introduction 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. Method With the purpose of reaching an overall conclusion on the subject, a meta-analysis was conducted. The systematic evaluation of the collected work was performed with the intention of scrutinize the results of previous research. The investigation utilized diverse sources of data such as professional journals, files of statistics, and psychological bulletins. Also, analyses of experiments and interviews with victims were conducted (Irish, Kobayashi, Delahanty & Douglas, 2009). 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. Finkelhor, Hammer & Sedlak, (2008), specified important characteristics that ... ... middle of paper ... ...d Sexual Abuse. The search for healing. Taylor & Francis e-Library. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/31878461/9-Bagley-amp-King-Child-Sexual-Abuse-1990 Finkelhor D. Hammer H. & Sedlak A. J. NISMART Bulletin: Runaway/Thrownaway Children. Sexually Assaulted Children: National Estimates and Characteristics. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/214383.pdf Irish, Kobayashi, Delahanty & Douglas. (2009). Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Long-term Physical Health Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Meta-Analytic Review. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2910944/ Paolucci E., Genuis, M. L., & Violato, C. (2001). A meta-analysis of the published research on the effects of child sexual abuse. The Journal of Psychology, 135(1), 17-36. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/213817819?accountid=158847
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.
Not all children can show the manifest symptoms, some children may not be so disturbed by physical abuse, but also they may show latent symptoms that show that the children are suffering from sexual abuse, such symptoms are psychological torment. Some of these symptoms may include; nightmares and sleeping problems, changes in the eating habits, outburst of anger, uncontrollable fear of certain people or places, strong fear of being left alone with some individuals among many others (Hornbacher, 2009). A number of ...
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...
Child abuse includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect of children. Abuse also consists of educational, emotional, and psychological mistreatment. The visible injuries of a child may disappear, but the pain and suffering does not end. Child abuse frightens children and they deal with the affects their entire lives. Some of the effects of mental abuse consist of anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, and flashbacks. These children grow up unable to c...
"Understanding Child Sexual Abuse: Education, Prevention and Recovery." Http://www.apa.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Upon completion of the research, it was appalling to find additional side effects of childhood sexual abuse in the form of anxiety, depression, the feeling that they could have prevented the abuse, and thoughts of suicide. Further effects include sexual anxiety and disorders, including too many sexual partners, prostitution, and poor parenting skills later in life. Children may have a difficult time setting safe limits with others (e.g. saying no to people) and relationship problems, poor body image, eating problems, unhealthy behaviors, such as alcohol, drugs, and self-harm. These behaviors are often displayed to try to hide painful emotions related to the abuse go back and make sure this is complete deb! (Child Welfare Information gateway, 2008).
The encounter of child sexual abuse differs between individuals. The seriousness, occurrence, and age of the child, relationship between the child and the offender, degree of support, admission by the perpetrator, active family life, and exact nature of the abuse all affect the type and severity of effects seen in the child victim. It is imperative to mention that no one symptom outline is exclusively to children who have been sexually abused. Furthermore, the majority of ch...
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.
Your past affects your future, that is one idea that most people can agree upon. Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse develop symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and are unable to form positive working relationships. Having direct experience with Childhood Sexual Abuse survivors has caused reason to question developmental traits that occur initially after the abuse as well as the long term effects the abuse has on the victim. Please consider that all samples, case studies and other research used in this essay come from victims of CSA that have self-identified as being either survivor or an abuser. According to The National Center For Victims of Crime, nearly 30 percent of children between the ages of fourteen and seventeen have been victims
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) constitutes a very small amount of cases, but nonetheless it is extremely detrimental for children. Studies evaluated the consequences of childhood sexual abuse and revealed that such traumatic experiences can harm the child physically, psychologically, and emotionally. The disturbing experiences can also negatively impact the child during their adolescence and adulthood. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes child maltreatment as physical and emotional abuse, negligence, and commercial or other exploitation of children (Smallbone, Marshall, & Wortley, 2011). Unfortunately, there is no reliable and valid definition exclusively for Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) (Collin, Daigneault, & Hébert, 2013; Smallbone, et al., 2011). Among practitioners and scholars, the consensus is that childhood sexual abuse is an acute social problem that needs to be brought to light even though ambiguity over the definition exists (Collin et al., 2013; Smallbone et al., 2011). Because of the collective awareness, several research studies have been done on the resiliency or protective factors that prevail among victims of crime (Ager, 2013). Some childhood development studies defined resilience as a set of protective factors that CSA survivors use to escape their trauma and achieve positive adaptation ( Luthar, Cicchett & Becker, 2000; Walsh, Dawson, & Mattingly, 2010). Luther stated:
Although physical abuse is the most recognized form of domestic violence, sexual abuse on a child is the most common, and despite the fact that 91 percent of sexual abuse is committed by a non-family member, it still takes place in the child’s home. This kind of activity can drastically change the behavior and judgment of children with their sexuality, self-esteem, and overall outlook on life.
By researching the negative effect of sexual assault,I intend to prove that it should come with a consequence.Sexual abuse is an area of human behavior which, when discovered, quite understandably often evokes extreme reactions, due in the most part to ignorance, fear, and guilt. It dramatically affects a child's learning ability in the classroom. Sexual abuse of children is not an occasional deviant act but instead a devastating commonplace fact of everyday life. Our society tends to disbelieve and blame the young victims and underplay the horror of sexual molestation. Child sexual abuse occurs when a child is exploited for the sexual gratification of an older person. This may be in the form of fondling of genitals or breasts, oral, vaginal
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.
As is evident, child molestation is a commonly occurring abuse when it needn't be. If parents, siblings, teachers, religious leader, and society as a whole made an attempt to observe the physical and behavioral tendencies in children, abuse can be more readily perceived and therefore eradicated. Society must not blame the victim, but must punish the perpetrators and make an effort to rehabilitate them before allowing them to form an abusive situation yet again. Sexual abuse in children is a widely growing problem which needs our attention. We need to act now before more children are subjected to these unmotivated attacks.
"Childhood sexual abuse impacts sexuality development." Women's Health Weekly 17 July 2003: 50. General OneFile. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.