Childhood Sexual Abuse

One of the most paradoxical and confusing problems that victims and their families may face is childhood sexual abuse. This form of abuse is a great concern for the present day American society and many efforts through the works of professionals as well as legislation are attempting to put a stop to this unethical, premature sexual exploitation. Ratican (1992) defined childhood sexual abuse in the following manner:
“any sexual act, overt or covert, between a child and an adult (or older child, where the younger child’s participation is obtained through seduction or coercion). Irrespective of how childhood sexual abuse is defined it generally has significant negative and pervasive psychological impact on its victims” (p. 33).
It occurs at
every socioeconomic status, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions, and at all levels of education (Swan, 1998). The Rape, Abuse, and Incest Network (2009) indicated that child molestation “knows no barriers- not race, income, or religion” (p.4). Child sexual abuse occurs more often than many might expect. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2011) announced that child abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times per year, but the actual number is much greater considering the fact that the majority of children are afraid to speak up about the abuse. Often times children are told the sexual abuse is a special secret between themselves and the offender, also playing a factor as to why the number of sexual abuse cases is not completely accurate.
Childhood sexualSexual abuse can occur in a vast array of scenarios. Child Momolestation is commonly thought to be strictly limited to physical actions such as forcible intercourse, but it is not. It can occur in many different forms including but not limited to: sexual touching and fondling, premature exposure of children to explicit pornographic material, and forcible posing in sexually inappropriate photographs. Sexually abusive acts tend to occur “in a family environment that lacks boundaries and control” (Araji, 1997, p. 134).
In the Journal of American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Douglas Finkelhor (2005) noted one out of four girls and one out of five boys are sexually abused by the time they are 18 years of age. The majority of sexual abuse tends to arise during childhood; with incest being the most common form (Courtois, 1996, as cited in Maltz, 2002). Child Child mmolestation is generally initiated by someone the child victim loves and trusts. All children are susceptible to sexual abuse, but the most vulnerable age for a victim is preschool children (Brenna, 2006). These children require supervision in all aspects of their lives including the tasks of bathing and changing clothing. This creates the opportunity for sexual abuse to occur from caregivers, babysitters, relatives, and other individuals with whom the children come into contact (American Humane Association, 2002).
Victims of childhood sexual abuse are affected differently depending on the circumstances (Hall & Hall, 2011). However, survivors of molestation tend to let the abuse affect them not only during childhood, but also sometimes for the entirety of their lives. As noted by Bottoms and Epstien (1998), “sexual abuse robs children of their childhood, and creates a loss of trust, feelings of guilt, and self-abusive behavior” (p. 12). Faller (1993) stated, “children may have a variety of emotional reactions to sexual abuse, depending on the characteristics of the child and the abuse” (p. 18). Professionals have discovered that untreated child molestation tends to cause antisocial behavior, depression, identity confusion, loss of self-esteem and other serious emotional problems. Out of all of the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse, depression tends to be the most prevalent (Hall & Hall, 2011).
Even after many years have passed since the molestation, the survivors at times tend to indicate “feelings of worthlessness and avoid others because they believe they have nothing to offer” (Long, Burnett, & Thomas, 2006, p.
7). Research has demonstrated that the survivors usually blame themselves. Because of their tragic experience with sexual abuse, the child survivor’s interpersonal relationships can possibly be damaged as well (Besharov, 1994). Common relationship difficulties that survivors encounter include difficulties with “trust, fear of intimacy, fear of being different or weird, difficulty establishing interpersonal boundaries, passive behaviors, and getting involved in abusive relationships” (Ratican, 1992, p. 36). Stress and anxiety are frequently long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse. Childhood Ssexual abuse can be frightening and lead to the formation of stress long after the experience or experiences have
ceased.
Treatment of child sexual abuse is a complex process; however, research suggests that individual or group therapy for abused children is highly effective.
If sexual abuse is suspected, a series of interviews are conducted between a professional and the child victim. During the interview process, the professional usually incorporates “play activity with some questions” whereas interviewing older children focuses on “talking to the child and asking direct questions” (Faller, 1993, p. 1). A wide variety of questions are asked about the child’s life in general and will usually go into specifics about the child’s friends and family (Faller, 1993). Professionals often use anatomically explicit dolls, anatomical drawings, picture drawing, storing telling, and a dollhouse with younger survivors in an attempt to elicit specific information about the sexual abuse. These techniques may serve as a stimulus to remind the child of the sexual abuse. Each victim’s response will not be the same. There is no universal symptom of child sexual abuse among all survivors. Because every survivor has a different experience, professionals must focus on the individual needs of the client. Studies indicate that children can, in fact, remember and that they are resistant to suggestion. The interviewing techniques also serve as being a “permanent, visual record… and become part of the interviewer’s case record and are admissible in court” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2007, p.
12).
Childhood sexual abuse is consistently a traumatic experience that has many consequences throughout the victim’s life. It occurs throughout all of the different cultures of the world, and is not limited to race or religion. The occurrence of sexual abuse in a child’s life can lead to various social and psychological issues. If the victim is not properly treated, the sexual abuse they experienced tends to engulf all areas of their life. Professionals continue to assess survivors through methods such as using anatomically explicit dolls, which help younger children imitate the abuse that they had experienced. Childhood sexual abuse is a reoccurring causality that has negatively impacted generations in the past, and will continue traumatizing people if not prevented.