There are adults that suffer from health ailments that can be tied to childhood trauma/maltreatment. In, recent years there have been research that looked at Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’S) and their relation to health. Adults with a high ACE score were more likely than those with a lower score to have health related issues.ACEs are a significant risk factor for substance use disorders and can impact prevention efforts. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are stressful or traumatic events, including abuse and neglect. While there are common factors there are also differences between genders and how they internalize being abused. This paper will detail the various issues and concerns seen in adulthood that stem from child sexual abuse/trauma. …show more content…
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
The sexual effects that many survivors experience are sexual dysfunction (desire, arousal,and orgasm), they are more likely to be promiscuous and had an STD,associate sex with abuse and many have feelings of disgust/panic when it comes to sex and relationship/intimacy issues/concerns, PTSD and flashbacks. In women, prostitution and early pregnancy have been associated with sexual abuse. (Baram DA, Basson
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.
The Adverse Childhood Experiences study (ACE) conducted by Felitti et al. (1998) proposed that children who experienced maltreatment and neglect along with dysfunctional family systems were at higher risk for developing physiological and psychological problems later in life. The ACE studies demonstrated the collective effects of negative childhood experiences on physical and mental health issues. These disorders include; substance abuse, suicidal ideality, and depression, as well as a host of medical problems (Putnam, Harris & Putnam, 2013). In addition, the study indicated that exposure to two or more adverse childhood experiences is linked to higher rates of smoking, promiscuity, substance abuse, and eating disorders (Anda et al., 2006).
Being molested can really take a toll on a person and can also bring out the worst in a person. Different ages go through different outcomes. Age 9 and up experience so much and much more than younger kids do. Outcomes are depression, nightmare, sleep disturbance , poor school performance, promiscuity, substance abuse ,aggression, running away from home , fear of attack recurring, eating disturbance, early pregnancy, early marriage, suicidal gestures, anger about being forced into a situation beyond one’s control, psuedo (not genuine) mature behaviors stress,Unwillingness to submit to physical examination, withdrawal and mistrust of adults, difficulty relating to others except in sexual or seductive ways,unusual interest in or avoidance of all things sexual or physical,refusal to go to the doctor, neurotic reactions (obsessions, compulsiveness, phobias), unusual sexual knowledge or behavior, prostitution,Forcing sexual acts on other children,extreme fear of being touched, and early trauma changes to the brain. Those outcomes could be life threatening to a person. Molestation can extend far beyond childhood. “sexual Abuse” creates a loss of trust feeling of guilt self abusive behavior, it can lead to antisocial behavior identity confusion where questions will pop up in your head like am i gay does this mean i like boys/girls now since this has happen to? sexual confusion doesn 't always happen but it can happen to a
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.
Adverse childhood experiences known as the ACE Study, was developed to determine whether childhood events had long-term health consequences, which has important implications for Healthy People 2020 Policy planning, as well as for key social work roles in disease prevention. (Larkin, Felitti, Anda, 2014). Based on the Michael’s case he has experienced six ACEs, child abuse that was both emotional and physical, alcohol abuse, single parent home, working class, and lack of support/closeness with family. Some studies suggest that the experience of four or more ACEs is a threshold above which there is a particular higher risk of negative physical and mental health outcomes. (Sacks, Murphey, Moore, 2014) Early life stress, including neglect and abuse,
According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, an estimated 777,200 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect by a protective service agency in the United States in 2008, and 9.1% of these children were determined to have been sexually abused (Draucker, 2011). Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a prevalent problem in the United States that is associated with many long term psychological, behavioral, social and physical effects on men and women (Draucker, 2011). These effects can make a person’s life a living hell. They turn someone into a person that they may not have been if the tragic event didn’t happen to them.
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are the extremely traumatic events that take place in an individual’s childhood that negatively affect their future attempts to succeed in life. ACEs include enduring physical and verbal abuse, living in dysfunction and over exposure to violent and criminal behavior. It was determined that children who are in the child welfare system are more likely to suffer ACEs and develop physical and mental health issues as well as engage in risky behavior (Brown & Shillington, 2017); children who suffer ACEs also have lower self-efficacy than other children. In all of the research prior to this study, much of the focus was on the psychological and behavioral outcomes of ACEs and what children were more susceptible to them. The problem that the researchers in this study have identified is that in no prior research has anyone
What is childhood? To some its the upbringing and quality of life given to the child within the first several years of the child's life. In its simplest form, childhood is classified as the age span which ranges from birth to adolescence. During those years of childhood, most children go through various different physical and cognitive changes. According to the famous cognitive developmental theorist Jean Piaget, in psychology, childhood consists of four separate stages of development. Those stages are sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages. The sensorimotor stage extends from both to when the child first starts to grasp the concept of language. In the pre-operational stage is when the child starts
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.
Sexual abuse cannot be clearly defined with ease. In fact, sexual abuse is an umbrella term for any sort of situation, whether or not it involves physical contact, in which a sexually immature child is exposed to anything sexual in nature. Because no child is psychologically mature enough for sexual stimulation, the complex feelings associated with it are mentally and emotionally disfiguring. Children who have been sexually abused experience an array of negative emotions such as shame, guilt and anger, and may display oddly withdrawn or distrustful behaviors. They cannot help but feel that they somehow brought the abuse unto themselves (Saisan, et al). One major contributing factor to these severe psychological consequences is the concept of trust. Sexual abuse is, in most cases, committed by a parent or other trusted adult figure. While children are naïve on such adult topics, they can still get an overwhelming feeling that the attention is wrong, yet they are unsure of how to cope with it. If the child has an emotional atta...
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study was done by Dr. Vince Felitti and Dr. Bob Anda at the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) and together, they asked 17,500 adults about their exposure to what they called “adverse childhood experiences,”
Incorporating diversity in child development is the focus of this essay. This essay explores three articles that discuss the effects of diversity assimilation in child development. Those who are teaching diversity needs to fully understand it to aid in children's development of diversity cognition from preschool through adolescence. Reading the sources, it is evident that every child needs to learn diversity in their early year. As this greatly contributes to the physical, social, and emotional well-being of themselves and others. This paper looks at the researches of Gonzalez-Mena and Pulido-Tobiassen, Shahaeian, and the Anti-Defamation League in diversity the classroom in relation to the teacher and the children present. These articles to suggest that all diversity should
ACE was defined, as any type of abuse experienced prior to age eighteen, whether be emotional or physical. This research points out that those who suffered from ACE most likely developed risky behavior later in life because that was a way for them (him/her) to cope. The ACE research proves that there is a direct line to alcoholism, smoking and other addictions, homelessness, mental health issues, and incarceration (in Heather Larkin , Brooke A. Beckos & Joseph J. Shields (2012) Mobilizing Resilience and Recovery in Response to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE): A Restorative Integral Support (RIS) Case Study, Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 40:4,
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