Child Sexual Abuse: A Review of the Literature Essay

AbstractChild versed rib (CSA) is a private epidemic of electric razor execration and neglect. Approximately there be 3 million reports of CSA in the United States every year involving nearly 6 million children. CSA take place across ethnic and cultural lines, in on the whole socioeconomic levels, all(prenominal) levels of education and within all religions. many unseemly effects correlate with CSA roughly ex angstromles include, anxiety, avoidance nonion, low self-esteem, post-traumatic examine disorder (PTSD), and promiscuity. In the present paper, research in the role of kind di nidus in women with history of CSA reviewed to gain a understanding depression , high risk sexual activity nature of the trauma , obstacles in races, possessing negative beliefs and attitudes towards another(prenominal)s, psychological effects, psychopathology. The following lit review attempts to establish and life CSA association with psychological, emotional and physical demeanors in bountifulhood. Continuous studies of sexually maltreat children and treatment outcomes be essential. Keywords Child sexual abuse, anxiety, avoidance depression, low self-esteem, post-traumatic stress disorder, promiscuityChild familiar AbuseSurvivors of CSA often suffer from adverse psychological put out from CSA, long after the abuse has ended. Adult survivors argon at increased risk of having of having one or more than long negative consequences (Bremner et al., 1999 Colangelo and Keefe-Cooperman, 2012 Gladstone, Parker, Wilhelm, Mitchell, & vitamin A Austin, 1999 Goodyear-Brown, 2012 Rosenthal, Rasmussen Hall, Palm, Batten, & adenylic acid Follette, 2005 Trowell, Kolvin, Weeramanthri, Sadowski, Berelowitz, Glasser, & Leitch, 2002). A history of CSA is not un uncouthly reported by survivors with depressive disorders (Gladstone et al., 1999). They seek out a mental health professional for numerous reasons. Rosenthal et al. (2005) assemble shame, guilt and the affable soil with CSA of such experiences it is liable(predicate) that survivors would attempt to avoid memories and feelings through various bureau including psychological distress, depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicidal look and borderline personality disorders. specify the ProblemBremner et al. (1999) affirmed child sexual abuse is ingrainedly common in todays society 16% of women are the victim of rape, attempted or molestation at some time in the first place their 18th birthday. However, CSA prevalence rates varied substantially making comparisons rocky (Colangelo & Keefe-Cooperman , 2012 as cited in Butcher, Mineka, & Hooley, 2010). In addition, the main definitional discrimination was whether the abuse was physical or also involved noncontact behaviors. Goodyear-Brown, 2012 (as cited in Berliner, 2011 Berliner & Elliott, 2002 Finkelhor, 1979) defined CSA as any sexual activity involving a child in whom the child is unable or unwilling to give consent. In addi tion, reported CSA is a problem of epidemic symmetry affecting children of all ages, socioeconomic levels and cultural backgrounds.Therefore, all states have legal procedures against child sexual abuse, literal meanings dissent from state to state, and sexual abuse is not evermore clearly addressed as distinct from physical abuse (Goodyear-Brown, 2012). CSA impacts all people from a wide variety of backgrounds. Researchers have documented CSA has no boundaries of race, class, culture, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. As a result it affects the whole community including, children, adolescents, and adults. While victims including offenders are without doubt, roughly undeviatingly force, households and communities in which the abuse occurred are also strongly impacted if there is no satisfactory response to the issue.Personality DisordersThe ability to ready relationships and get along with others is essential to healthy wellbeing. Maintaining positive, reciprocal social connectio ns includes comprehending social cues, speaking up for oneself, and finding people who will not operate and hurt others. Consequently, the ability to develop and maintain relationships becomes affected.Low Self-EsteemSexual abuse survivors, in one study, expressed more internalizing behaviors than did their non-mistreated counter parts. In fact, women with history of CSA were more likely to use negative terms to retrace themselves and less likely to attri ande positive meaning to sexual behavior (Colangelo & Keefe-Cooperman, 2012, as cited in Meston and Heiman, 2000). Also, women with a history of CSA perceived their bodies as less sexually attractive than nonabused and reported feeling angry and removed(p) from, their own bodies during sexual activity (Colangelo & Keefe-Cooperman, 2012, as cited in Wenniinger and Heiman, 1998). In addition, patients who report CSA, 93% self-reported helplessness, sinfulness, guilt, worthlessness and self-image (Gladstone et al., 1999).Avoi danceRosenthal et al., (2005) established that women victimized during childhood, were likely to have avoidance of experiences. Survivors with the avoidant style have some interpersonal bonds and few friends. They are not as imaginable to be linked in relations with others and less likely to be married. The invasive style is besides burdensome and controlling. However, the invasive style has exceptional needs for closeness. There is extreme self-disclosure, and relationships are excessively smothering. Equally the avoidant and invasive styles are dysfunctional and are possibly to result in loneliness.Sexual DisordersThe impact of CSA on a womans sexual functions relates to high risk sexual activities. waste sexual behavior is the most thoroughly documentation of destructive behavior in abuse survivors. Also, significantly impacts the quality of sexual and romantic relationships of the victims. promiscuousnessResearchers found 20% of women worldwide reported sexual contact with an adult during their childhood (Colangelo & Keefe-Cooperman, 2012 as cited in Freyd et al., 2005). Women reported performing a sexual act against their will, in the lead age 15 (Colangelo & Keefe-Cooperman, 2012 as cited in Fanslow, Crengle, Perese and Robinson, 2007).Also, women with a sexual abuse history reported more negative feelings about sex and experience less satisfaction than do nonabused women (Colangelo & Keefe-Cooperman, 2012 as cited in Leonard et al., 2008 Meston et al., 2006). Findings, for women whose abuse experience included earlier onset of consensual sexual activity, higher rates of teen pregnancy, doubled sexual partners, unprotected intercourse (Colangelo & Keefe-Cooperman, 2012, as cited in Ferguson et al., 1997 Raj, Silverman & Amaro, 2000 Walker et al., 1999). Furthermore, increased rates of abortion and anal sex (Colangelo & Keefe-Cooperman, 2012 as cited in Windgood & DiClemente, 1997).Anxiety DisordersA plethora of literature has de veloped over the then(prenominal) 20 years demonstrating the potentially atrocious magnitude of negative emotions. Depression is one of the most frequently occurring sequelae of past abuse.DepressionGladstone et al., (1999) linked behavioral problems in adulthood to CSA and found that more patients with photo to CSA, than patients with no exposure, had evidence of significant personality disturbances before their current depressive episode. In addition, patients with history of CSA reported higher levels of depression (Gladstone et al., 1999). Significantly, patients with exposure of CSA reported having an alcoholic father than did those who had not. To emphasize researchers also found other over represented characteristics to feel unsafe, a dysfunctional father, verbal abuse and exposure to an unstable relationship mingled with parents (Gladstone et al., 1999).Post Traumatic focusing Disorder (PTSD)Bremner et al., (1999) identified CSA is the most common cause of PTSD, which af fects 10% of case-by-cases in this country. In spite of the high prevalence rates of CSA and PTSD, there is petty on the long-term effects of abuse on the brain. Trowell et al. (2002) examined the relationship between PTSD and symptoms the led victims to seek treatment. They found that a significant good turn of victims in their sample manifest symptoms of PTSD, including flashbacks and intrusive memories.However, despite the fact that most CSA victims did not meet full diagnostic criteria for PTSD, many reported having some post-traumatic symptoms. These symptoms included hyper vigilance, intrusive thoughts, and rapid intrusive flashbacks of the abuse Researchers monitored the relative power of focused individual or group psychotherapy for sexually abused girls and psychopathological outcome findings and patterns of change. Both treatment groups showed substantial psychopathological improvements, but with no evident difference between individual and group therapy. Therefore, in dividual therapy led to a greater improvement in manifestations of PTSD (Trowell et al., 2002).ReferencesBremner, J. D., Narayan, M., Staib, L. H., Southwick, S. M., McGlashan, T., & Charney, D.S. (1999). Neural correlates of memories of childhood sexual abuse in women with and without posttraumatic stress disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(11), 1787-1795. Colangelo, J.J., & Keefe-Cooperman, K. (2012). Understanding the impact of childhood sexual abuse on womens sexuality. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 34(1), 1-5. Gladstone, G., Parker, G., Wilhelm, K., Mitchell, P., & Austin, M. (1999). Characteristics of deject patients who report childhood sexual abuse. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 156(3), 431-437. Goodyear-Brown, P. (2012).The scope of the problem. In P. Goodyear-Brown (Eds.), Handbook of child sexual abuse Identification, assessment, and treatment (pp. 1-28). Hoboken, New island of Jersey John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Rosenthal, Z.M., Rasmuss en Hall, M. L., Palm, K.M, Batten, S.V., & Follette, V.M. (2005). Chronic avoidance helps explain the relationship between severity of childhood sexual abuse and psychological distress in adulthood. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 14(4), 25-41. Trowell, J., Kolvin, I., T. Weeramanthri, T., Sadowski, H., Berelowitz, M., Glasser, D., & Leitch, I. (2002). Psychotherapy for sexually abused girls psychopathological outcome findings and patterns of change. British Journal of Psychiatry, 180, 234-247.