Throughout the United States, sexual abuse is more common that one may think and is not always understood to it’s full definition. In fact, in her book, Why Me? Help for Victims of Child Sexual Abuse (Even If They Are Adults Now), Lynn B. Daugherty, Ph.D., states that one in every four children are subject to some type of sexual abuse by the time they are eighteen years old. That means twenty-five percent of children some form of sexual abuse before they are adults. Although it is often thought of as physical harm during sexual intercourse, there is much more to sexual abuse than that. So, what does sexual abuse really entail and what are the long term effects of sexual abuse on children? Sexual Abuse is any sort of non-consensual sexual contact. Child Sexual Abuse is sexual abuse performed by an adult or any older child. These acts can include things such as inappropriate touching, penetration, encouraging of sexual activities including prostitution, intentionally engaging in sexual acts in front of a child, and pornography. Sexual abuse also includes any sexual act caused by trickery, trapping, force, or bribery. Contrary to popular opinion, manipulation is a real thing and is indeed used to emotionally and physically harm people. Activity that is seemingly consensual physically isn’t always consensual mentally; there is often reluctance and confusion occurring that is not apparent just by visual observation. Many different psychological and physical tests can be done on victims of sexual abuse to help accurately understand their situations and how they have been affected by them. Though most sexual abuse case examinations are too difficult to get accurate statistics on, being there is so many variations in severity, age, circum... ... middle of paper ... ...l abuse leaves a controversial trail of aftereffects." Science News 25 Sept. 1993: 202+.General OneFile. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. "Childhood sexual abuse impacts sexuality development." Women's Health Weekly 17 July 2003: 50. General OneFile. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. "Child Sexual Abuse Facts." - The Children's Assessment Center Houston, Texas USA The Children's Assessment Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Daugherty, Lynn B. Why Me?: Help for Victims of Child Sexual Abuse, Even If They Are Adults Now. Racine, WI: Mother Courage, 1984. Print. HAGEN, MARGARET A. "Damaged Goods?" Skeptical Inquirer Jan. 2001: 54. General OneFile. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. Turner, Matthew Paul. What You Didn't Learn from Your Parents about Sex: A Guide to a Touchy Subject. Colorado Springs, CO: TH1NK, 2006. Print. "What Is Sexual Abuse?" Definition of Sexual Abuse -. N.p., 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Burton, D. L. (2003). Male adolescents: Sexual victimization and subsequent sexual abuse. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 20(4), 277-296.
There have been a large number of studies that compared adults that had been sexually abused as well as adults that had not and what their differences were. What about the effects that child abuse has on Adults? This study purpose is to try and pinpoint the effects that psychosexual functioning in adults has on sexually abused children. During this study it got a closer look at how events of childhood sexual abuse effected psychosexual functioning, emotional, behavioral and evaluative after childhood. This article looks at the effect that childhood sexual abuse can have on an adult. It compares the different effects if the child tells someone when the attack happens or if they don’t what the long term effects could be. The questionnaire was given to find out which effect child abuse had on 165 different adults: fear of sex and guilt during sex, issues with physical touch, sexual arousal, and sexual satisfaction. First the characteristics of the adults have to be determined. They were looking and determine characteristics like age...
The importance of growing up in today’s society and being educated about sexual abuse is an important aspect of knowledge everyone should have. Many parents also do not recognize the warning signs from their children early on to prevent them from turning into something bigger.
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of
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.
Burton, D. & Smith-Darden, J., North American Survey of Sexual Abuser Treatment and Models 2000, Brandon, VT: Safer Society Foundation, 2001.
Briggs, David., et al. Assessing Men Who Sexually Abuse. United Kingdom: Jessica Kingsly Publishers, 1998.
Terry, K., & Tallon, J. Child Sexual Abuse: A Review of the Literature. Web. December 8, 2014, from http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/upload/child-sexual-abuse-literature-review-john-jay-college-2004.pdf
Meston, C. M., Rellini, A. H., & Heiman, J. R. (2006). Women's history of sexual abuse, their
Feldman, W., et al. 1991. "Is Childhood Sexual Abuse Really Increasing in Prevalence?" Pediatrics 88: 29–33.
explores the theory of four traumagenic dynamics, or factors of abuse that lead to long term trauma. These dynamics include traumatic sexualization, betrayal, stigmatization, and powerlessness. According to Finkelhor, traumatic sexualization “a process in which a child’s sexuality (including both sexual feelings and sexual attitudes) is shaped in a developmentally inappropriate and interpersonally dysfunctional fashion as a result of sexual abuse.” In this study, betrayal refers to the feelings of a child who has discovered that someone they trust has abused or mistreated them in some way. These feelings are often not just towards their abuser, but also towards family members/guardians who have disregarded their suffering rather than protected them from abuse.
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.
Widom, Cathy S. "Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Later Criminal Consequences." Trooper (March 1995): 1-8. NCJRS. Web. 15 Mar. 2011.
More importantly, “60 percent of children who are sexually abused do not disclose and most are acquaintances but as many as 47 percent are family or extended family” (The Scope of, 2016). The prevalence of child sexual abuse is difficult to determine because it is often not reported; experts agree that the incidence is far greater than what is reported to authorities (Child Sexual Abuse, 2012). Startling statistics represent the depth of the issue. Globally, prevalence rates show that a range of 7-36% of women and 3-29% of men experience sexual abuse in childhood (The Scope of, 2016). “The U.S Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau report child maltreatment 2010 found that 9.2% of victimized children were sexually assaulted” (Child Sexual Abuse,