The Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse Essay example

Child sexual abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a year, but the number of unreported instances is far greater, because the children are afraid to tell anyone what has happened (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry). Childhood sexual abuse is a traumatic experience affecting the lives of not only the victim, but those close to the victim as well. Many think there is only one person truly traumatized, but in fact, everyone involved is affected. The victim has to deal with their experience the rest of their lives. They may be more at risk for other mental issues as well, including depression. The family involved has to deal with its pain, often causing hardship and discord within the family. This is especially true†¦show more content†¦It is important that in defining childhood sexual abuse, that all aspects be looked at. Sexual abuse isnt limited to sexual or physical contact. There are many examples of noncontact sexual abuse including: Photograph ing the child for sexual purposes, showing the child pornographic material, having sexualized conversations with the child, making fun of, or ridiculing childs sexual development, exposing genital area to the child for sexual gratification, watching a child undress or using the bathroom for sexual gratification, masturbating in front of the child, or even making the child watch others being abused (13, Clark, Marie) Statistically, girls are more often the victims of sexual abuse. However, it is also proven that males do not report their victimization as often, and therefore this might skew the statistics. (http://www.apa.org/releases/sexabuse/victims.html) The effects of childhood sexual abuse on the victims are wide ranging and long lasting. Behavioral problems are often wide ranging. Children will often act out in strange and different ways. They cannot emotionally cope with the issues that they have been given. Often out of shame or guilt, they will also keep the abuse to themselves. The emotional problems can develop into depression, anxiety, guilt, fear, sexual dysfunction, withdrawal, and acting out. (http://www.apa.org/releases/sexabuse/effects.html) If these issues are not treatedShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Children1282 Words   |  6 PagesDirect and Indirect Impacts The impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse is dependent in many ways depending on the type of and severity of the abuse. Some of these factors include: age of child when abuse first occurred, how long the abuse lasted, developmental stage of the child, relationship of the abuse to the child, whether forces was used to ensure the child’s participation, degree of shame or guilt experienced by the child, reaction of the child parent(s) and other professionals and other professionalsRead MoreChildhood Sexual Abuse And Its Effects On Children Essay1754 Words   |  8 Pages Childhood sexual abuse has long been researched for both its short-term and long-term effects on its victims. Sexual abuse is defined as any sexual act that is done on a child through coercion, and causes lasting psychological impact (Hall Hall, 2011). Given the importance of psychological development throughout childhood, sexual abuse can hinder the mental health of its victims through the occurrence of other psyc hiatric disorders. While children should be growing into mentally healthy adultsRead MoreThe Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Children1703 Words   |  7 PagesStates have experience childhood sexual abuse by the time they are 18 years old. The effects of childhood sexual abuse can be long-lasting and is a huge public health problem. There is a belief that male victims of sexual abuse do not suffer from the same negative impact that female victims do and we, as a society seem to turn a blind eye and minimize the impact when it comes to male victims. However, there is empirical support that shows men, like women, who experience sexual assault may suffer fromRead MoreThe Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Children2825 Words   |  12 PagesAbuse during childhood can be a very traumatic experience that can have many unfortunate consequences on a child’s development and successful long-term functioning. The initial effects of abuse commonly reported by children include fe elings of fear, shame, anger, rejection, hopelessness, and a perceived sense of worthlessness. However, many of these initial effects only increase over time and continue plaguing victims into adulthood. Adults experiencing long term effects of childhood sexual abuseRead MoreThe Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Adults Sexual Behavior1521 Words   |  7 Pages The impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Adults Sexual Behavior Jamila Kamara Dr. Lauren Vansluytman Morgan State University Sexual abuse leaves many scars, creating feelings of guilt, anger, and fear that haunt survivors throughout their lives. These traumatic experiences can be detrimental to the victims’ sense of their own sexuality. Numerous individuals who have been abused have trouble pursuing adult relationships and engaging in sex  as an adult. The abuse can color a personRead MoreThe Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Long Term948 Words   |  4 Pagesvery glad that others had the exact same questions and reservations that I do. One of the criticisms raised by Ondersma and colleagues (2001) is the issue of using the college student population as the basis of a study to look at the effects of childhood sexual abuse long term. I feel very strongly that I need to elaborate on that, and problems it likely presents. According to Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman (1998), only 50% of American adults go to college. This cuts out half of the general AmericanRead MoreThe Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse during Adulthood1309 Words   |  6 Pages The Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse during Adulthood 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 longRead MoreChildhood Sexual Abuse And Its Long Term Effects2240 Words   |  9 PagesChildhood sexual abuse is one form child abuse that includes a wide range of actions between a child and an adult or older child. It is a topic that is receiving much attention and concern in recent years. In this paper several points will be discussed regarding childhood sexual abuse. We must first understand what sexual abuse and who is at a higher risk for being abused. It is also important to know and be aware of signs and symptoms of childhood sexual abuse. But most importantly the long termRead MoreThe Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse On Women s Sexual Behavior2139 Words   |  9 Pagesexamine the impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on women’s sexual behavior in adulthood. Childhood sexual abuse has been associated with a plethora of physical and emotional symptoms in women. It has been noted that there is a significant relationship between this maltreatment and the development of abnormal sexual behavior. Some women who have been abused as children are suffering from lack of sexual desire, emotional distress, sexual dysfunction, or engage in risky sexual behavior as they becomeRead More The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse Essay1190 Words   |  5 PagesChild abuse is a serious issue in todays society. There are many victims of child abuse. There are three kinds of child abuse: emotional, sexual, and physical. Many researchers believe that sexual abuse is the most detrimental of the three. A middle-aged adult wh o 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