The Effects of Child Sexual Abuse - Research Paper Example

of Teacher The Effects of Child Sexual Abuse The sexual abuse of children has always been a problem in our society. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to completely end this abuse. When child sexual abuse happens, the child who is abused can have emotional and psychological damage from the time that this happens throughout their lives (The National Center for Victims of Crime). According to Child Help, “3.3 million reports of child abuse are made in the United States involving 6 million children” (par. 1) every year. In addition, five children die in child abuse crimes each year in the United States, giving the United States the worst record from all countries (Child Help). Many of the problems that children exhibit when they have undergone child sexual abuse include depression, low self-esteem, multiple personalities and sexual dysfunction as they grow older (The National Center for Victims of Crime). The greatest issue for children who experience child sexual abuse is that they can carry the experience throughout their lives. This research paper will explore the different aspects of child sexual abuse and how it affects children, as they grow older. 1. Overview of Child Sexual Abuse Although many people think that sexual abuse only occurs when a sexual act has been completed against the will of someone, there are actually several ways that sexual abuse can happen (The National Center for Victims of Crime). The National Center for Victims of Crime state that sexual abuse can include speaking sexual dialogue to a child, touching their genitals in any way, watching a child when they are naked (voyeurism), rape, including oral or other types of rape, and forcing a child to do sexual acts for performance in pornography or prostitution. This broad definition of sexual abuse gives a better understanding of how children are often exploited without anyone knowing. There is no specific type of person who becomes a child abuser. They can be men and women (though women do not abuse children as often as men), they can be any age, and usually the perpetrator is in a position of trust (The National Center for Victims of Crime). Some children are victims of incest, which means that someone in their family is either related by blood or the two people have an emotional connection (The National Center for Victims of Crime). Crime statistics show that about 14% of men, who currently are in prison, are child sexual abuses. In addition, about 36% of women were abused as children (Child Help). Child Help also states that 59% of children who have been sexually abused were more likely to be arrested when they are a teenager, 28% more apt to be arrested when they are adults, and they are 30% more likely to commit a violent crime. Children are also more likely to have a sexually transmitted disease as they grow older, and if they have parents who are also alcoholics, they may be more prone to being abused than if the parents do not use alcohol or drugs. Children can also be abused in many different ways. The chart below shows the types of child abuse that happen (Source: Child Help). This chart shows child sexual abuse makes up only 7.6% of all types of abuse of children, but that does not mean that it is not effecting children on a larger scale. For many children, child sexual abuse is not recorded, especially when it has been done by a family member. Often children have to keep quiet because a family member has told them they will hurt their familes, or if the children report the crime, their parents do not believe them (Child Help). 2. The Effects of Child Sexual Abuse as Children Sometimes children are removed from their home and placed in child care. John A. Fairbank et al. state that many children engage in high risk behaviors, may suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), emotional problems, and functional difficulties. John Robst et al. adds that the mental health issues that children experience as children can carry into adulthood, and effect the job market for the individual and for the various industries they may work within. One of the points tht Robst et al. make is that there adult females who are victims of child sexual abuse make less money. Women are also more prone to have challenges later in life. Robst et al. also state that many women have mental health challenges later in life and they are more likely to be incarcerated than those who have not experience child sexual abuse. Many children and adults who were sexually abused as children also suffer from low academic achievement, physical health problems,increased absenteeism in school and/or at work and behavior problems (Robst et al. 408). Many children will carry shame, anger and other emotions that create more problems as they grow older. Lei Hua et al. studied the effects of three psychosexual areas of functioning for adults. They were interested in the “emotional, behavioral and evaluative” (41) area of functioning and how these were affected by a history of child sexual abuse. The researchers found that how an adult reacted to their history of child sexual abuse would depend on the age that the abuse occurred and whether the child was able to report the abuse. If a child was older when the abuse occurred, when they became adult, they experienced a dissatisfaction with sex, would feel afraid of sex, and would most often feel guilty during sex (Lei Hua et al. 47). The author suggest that younger children do not have an idea of sex and are limited in their cognitive abilities around sex, so they do not have the same challenges as older children have when they become adult. Older children are also more prone to understanding that sexual abuse is going against societal norms (Lei Hua et al. 47). In addition, many children have a negative consequence when they do speak up about the abuse and this may add to shame and guilt as they age (Lei Hua et al. 47). Also, when other people found out about the abuse (e.g. the police, social workers or others) the child may have felt more guilt, shame, betrayal and powerlessness (47). These issues stay with a child if there is no mental health help, throughout their lives. 3. Treatment for Child Sexual Abuse Although there are many treatments for child sexual abuse, a child’s parents must be open to getting this help for them. If children do not receive the help they need, they may seek help as adults. Stevan E. Hobfoll et al. studied the issues of sexual risk and interpersonal problems amongst people with a history of child sexual abuse. Part of their study also analyzed the types of people that would be best to work with the adults who had suffered from child sexual abuse. Their study found that children who experienced child sexual abuse did not have the opporutnity to develop resiliency resources in the way that other children did. This basically means that interventions should be geared toward helping the child understand the resources that help them become resilient. Robert A. Steer, et al. studied the effects of therapy for child sexual abuse and found that the best type of therapy was Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). They created a “Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)” (67). Their study worked with the parents of children who had been abused, and many of the parents learned new ways of parenteing and how to more effectively talk to their children to help them in the future. They also found that children and adults had to have a better understanding of trauma and traumatic events so that they could begin to heal (7). In conclusion, child sexual abuse is a problem for many children and some of them die becaue of it. Children do not always undertand how to deal with child sexual abuse and they can develop shame, anger, a sense of helplesness, especially when no one listens to them. As children age, they can act out, have emotional and/or behavior problems, and many of them will be incarcerated for committing crime. As adults, those with a history of sexual abuse may have more difficulty with intimacy, may have sexual problems, and may have a fear of being with anyone sexually. They may have increased mental health concerns and may suffer from trauma and PTSD symptoms. Child sexual abuse has a very long lasting effect on children and it is not something that will be easy for children to deal with as they age. As adults, there can be more problems if there is not some type of intervention. The intervention that is most likely to occur is some type of therapy, to deal with the trauma, so that adults can move on with their lives. Works Cited Child Help. “National Child Abuse Statistics.” 2012. Web. 21 May 2012. < http://www.childhelp.org/pages/statistics> Fairbank, John A. et al. "Complex Trauma and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents Placed In Foster Care: Findings from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network." Child Welfare 90.6 (2011): 91-108. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 May 2012. Hobfoll, Stevan E., et al. "Child Sexual Abuse and Adulthood-Interpersonal Outcomes: Examining Pathways for Intervention." Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, And Policy (2011): PsycARTICLES. Web. 26 May 2012. Hua, Lei et al. "The Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Psychosexual Functioning During Adulthood." Journal of Family Violence 26.1 (2011): 41-50. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 May 2012. Robst, John. "Childhood Sexual Victimization, Educational Attainment, and the Returns to Schooling." Education Economics 18.4 (2010): 407-421. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 May 2012. Steer, Robert A. et al. "Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children: Impact of the Trauma Narrative and Treatment Length." Depression & Anxiety (1091-4269) 28.1 (2011): 67-75. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 May 2012. The National Center for Victims of Crime. “Child Sexual Abuse.” 2008. Web. 21 May 2012. Read More