Impact Of Child Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse is one of the most heinous and inhuman forms of crime. Despite its occurrence in the childhood, most victims carry the psychological burden of this abuse all through their lives. The victim being a minor, sexual abuse is difficult to identify as the abuse is usually not shared by the child himself or herself. |
The reasons for hiding the abuse could be problems in communication if the child is too young, apprehension of the reactions or fear of the offender. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most commonly observed impact of child sexual abuse. This condition could manifest itself in three forms, namely re-living the event, avoidance or withdrawal, and physiological hyperactivity. The abused child tends to exhibit a relatively more sexualized behavior. Such children also loose the confidence to demark personal boundaries, thereby becoming more vulnerable to physical violations.
Due to the inability to evaluate the whole situation judiciously, such children end up holding themselves guilty and develop an adverse image of themselves. The reactions from the siblings also add up to the decreased self esteem. The siblings invariably believe the abuser parent more than the abused one and condemn the child for creating an atmosphere of distress in the house. As in most cases of child abuse, the abuser is a close relative, trusting relationships becomes a major issue. In the long run, the impact of child sexual abuse can result into addictions, prostitution, overworking, inability to work, high-functioning, low-functioning, argumentative, avoiding conflict, perfectionism, and desire to please others.
Apart from these behavioral changes, some of the physical indicators of sexual abuse are bleeding from the vagina or rectum, pain, itching, swelling, discharge, painful bowel movements, and pain while urinating and/or swallowing.
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Impact Of Child Sexual Abuse
