The traumatic impact of child sexual abuse: A conceptualization

Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2001

Based on clinical experience and empirical literature demonstrating that child sexual abuse (CSA) often results in initial and long-term adverse outcomes, researchers have explored why such problems occur. Specifically, starting in the mid 1980s and continuing into the 1990s, several authors proposed conceptual models to explain the negative effects of CSA. Such models have been based on diverse theoretical premises. The purpose of the present article is to provide a general summary review of various conceptual models. Following the review, the current state of the literature on this topic is discussed, as are suggested future directions for research.

Journal of Trauma & Treatment, 2015

There is a common belief that one's home is one's shelter. It provides safety and predictability, and as such it is experienced as a point of departure and a landing pad. Similarly, one's body is perceived by humans to be their souls' home, and as such the body is attributed the characteristics of a home. The body is the soul's private space. Evidence indicates that people exhibit strong physical and emotional reactions to personal space violations [12] that are produced by the amygdala, particularly if the intimate zone reserved for loved ones, is invaded. People view their personal space serving as buffer vis-à-vis the external world, and it is essential that they experience control and responsibility over it [13]. Sexually penetrating a child's body means breaking into the child's personal space, invading the child's intimate zone. This violation

This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the issues and interventions involved in child sexual abuse. Children are the focus of the course. Children's experience of sexual abuse, the effects of sexual abuse on children's development, overcoming the effects of child sexual abuse, the systems involved in the investigation of child sexual abuse, the perspectives of significant others such as mothers, fathers, and perpetrators, and prevention of child sexual abuse all are part of this course. Child sexual abuse is embedded in a socio-cultural context. Sexually abusive behavior is an outcome, minimally, of the abuse of power and the sexualization of children. Persons who abuse children sexually are out of touch with many of their own inner states and the inner states of others; they are persons who take permission from the culture to use women and children without thought of consequences; who buy into ideologies that state that male sexual expression is an...

International journal of academic research in business & social sciences, 2024

For children to develop in a healthy manner, they must have positive and healthy experiences. On the other hand, some children have gone through traumatic events as a result of early sexual abuse. X, a sixteen-year-old girl, was sexually abused by her own brothers from the age of six until fifteen. She was sexually abused and assaulted by her two brothers more than 20 times, and she has suffered from traumatic experiences up until this point. X experiences a range of symptoms, including behavior, emotion, physiology, spiritual, irrational beliefs and maladaptive coping. X acknowledges that the traumatic experience she went through is still plaguing her and that she needs assistance to deal with all the fallout. In order to support victims of child sexual abuse like X in her future development, it is hoped that the findings of this study will aid future researchers in creating and establishing a helping model.

Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 2015

Most child sexual abuse research is based on the recollections of adults whose perspectives and biases might hinder identification of abuse risk factors. This study examined children's immediate postassault reports. A convenience sample of health records of 95 children ages 6 to 14 treated in emergency departments from 2006 to 2010 was examined. Child victims' mean age was 11.3; most were African American (87%) girls (86%) who were abused on weekends (73%). Most parents and caregivers (63%) reported alleged sexual abuse within 24 hours; 57% obtained medical help within 12 hours of abuse. Perpetrators had a mean age of 23.3, were overwhelmingly male (97%), and known to the child victims (80%), usually through their mothers, explaining why most children (57%) offered no resistance. Education, research, and health policy are needed to increase awareness of the potential for sexual abuse and physical harm to children by men known to the family.

In the past two decades Finkelhor and Browne's work (1985) on four traumagenic dynamics has been quoted extensively in literature about child sexual abuse. Already in the late 1980's this work on traumagenic dynamics was expanded by James (1989) who described nine traumagenic states as well as indicating how these constructs can be used as frameworks for intervention. This article aims at examining and expanding the work of Finkelhor and Browne as well as the work of James on traumagenic states and to briefly indicate how these constructs can be utilised as intervention frameworks for sexually traumatised children. This article is based on a literature study, discussions with social workers and psychologists at workshops presented by the author, clinical supervision with social workers in the field of sexual trauma and experience in clinical practice with victims of child sexual abuse.

JAMA Network Open, 2020

Child sexual exploitation (CSE) has a long and ignominious history and continues to emotionally and physically injure and adversely alter the development, sense of self, relationships, and life course of millions of children and adolescents worldwide. 1 The systematic review and meta-analysis by Laird et al 2 provides a thorough and rigorous evaluation of international research on risk and protective factors for sexually exploited children and adolescents. Consistent with findings from recent systematic reviews, 3,4 this review suggests that CSE is associated with sexual exposure, including sexual risk taking, multiple sexual partners, exposure to child or rape pornography, child sexual abuse, and sexting. However, these experiences may be aspects or consequences of CSE, as well as risk factors possibly associated with CSE, and they may have complex associations with one another and with other factors (eg, serving as mediators or moderators) that require careful longitudinal study and the ascertainment of varied individual trajectories and subgroups (eg, latent class or profile analysis). Many other factors associated with CSE are not specific to sexual exposure but instead reflect potentially traumatic adversities that have in common the disruption of primary relational bonds (ie, single-parent family, intimate partner violence, running away, homelessness, poverty, social isolation, household antisocial behaviors, physical and emotional abuse, revictimization, family involvement in sex work, and child protective services [CPS] involvement). Interestingly, most of these factors showed low to moderate heterogeneity (ie, 0%-74%) across studies: only single-parent family, running away, and CPS involvement showed highly variable risk levels, which could be associated with those factors not being singular vulnerabilities to CSE but instead having a mixture of both risk and protective features. For example, although single-parent families might confer vulnerability

Full citation: Kisiel, C., Fehrenbach, T., Liang, Li-Jung, Stolbach, B., McClelland, G., Griffin, G., Maj, N., Briggs, E.C., Vivrette, R.L., Layne, C.M., & Spinazzola, J. (2014). Examining Child Sexual Abuse in relation to Complex Patterns of Trauma Exposure: Findings from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 6(Suppl 1), 2014, S29-S39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0037812 Abstract: Chronic, interpersonal traumas within the caregiving system are associated with a range of symptoms, functional impairments, and trauma history profiles. This study utilized data from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Core Data Set (CDS) to examine the role of child sexual abuse in combination with other types of caregiver-related trauma (physical abuse, domestic violence, emotional abuse, neglect, and impaired caregiving). These trauma composites were assessed in relation to clinical profiles, including mental health symptoms, risk behaviors, and functional difficulties. Groups included multiply traumatized youth with a documented history of: (a) 3 or more caregiver-related traumas with co-occurring sexual abuse (CR  CSA group, N  501); (b) 3 or more caregiver-related traumas without co-occurring sexual abuse (CR group, N  1,108); and (c) 3 or more noncaregiver-related traumas (e.g., medical trauma, natural disaster, physical/sexual assault; non-CR group, N  142). Youth with caregiver related traumas had significantly earlier onset and longer duration of traumas compared to other traumatized youth. Child sexual abuse had an additive and potent predictive effect on clinical profiles, even in combination with other caregiver-related traumas. Although youth with caregiver-related traumas exhibited significant attachment problems, youth with sexual abuse in particular had higher levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and received higher ratings for symptoms of depression, suicidality, and sexualized behaviors in comparison with the other 2 groups. Findings suggest that careful mapping of trauma history, including age of onset, duration, and co-occurrence of trauma exposure in childhood, can provide a foundation for a more refined developmental approach to the scientific investigation, clinical assessment, and treatment of children with complex histories of trauma in childhood. Keywords: child sexual abuse, complex trauma, complex PTSD, clinical profiles

… Psychology: Research and …, 1996

The purpose of this study was to assess differences in sexually abused children's self-concept and experiences of traumatic symptoms and to qualitatively examine the manner in which standardized assessment instruments could be used by therapists for treatment planning and case management. The results of this study suggest that not all sexually abused children have the same perceived level of self-concept, social support, or traumatic symptoms. Sexually abused children who had high selfconcept had higher perceived levels of social support. Use of the formal assessments assisted therapists in developing individualized treatment plans. Implications of this study are discussed. Sexual abuse remains a major problem in this country. Figures on the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse range from 10% to 30% for nonclinical populations (Briere, 1992; Finkelhor, Hotaling, Lewis, & Smith, 1989). The traumatic experience of abuse can adversely affect children during critical periods of growth when assumptions about self, others, and the world are being formed. Posttraumatic reactions can affect subsequent psychological and social maturation, leading to dysfunctional development (Briere, 1992). In a review of this literature, Haugaard and Reppucci (1988) found that sexual abuse victims suffered consequences that were emotional, sexual, and behavioral. However, the extent to which the children experienced adverse consequences varied widely.

2020

This article is discussing as a highly noteworthy problem, child abuse, and the destructive act of abuse by studying the traumatic post-effects of it on children. The included data—based on the fulfilled researchers in Turkey in previous years— demonstrates how the abuse is a serious issue to be taken seriously. The study discusses types of experienced trauma and the emergence of that breed in later years. Studies suggest methods to prevent child abuse by informing children. Besides, various types of trauma occurring after sexual abuse are explained explicitly. In this context, the studies from the standard profiles of the exploiters under the DSM 5 diagnostic criteria book of pedophilia, as well as information on acute PTSD and chronic PTSD developing, are discussed.

PsycEXTRA Dataset, 2000

British Journal of Psychotherapy, 1988

This paper looks at child sexual abuse from a child's viewpoint, and postulates three levels at which the child experiences the abuse, both at the time fit, occurrence and during later development. It is suggested that the greater the child's difficulty in integrating the experiences from these three different levels the poorer the healing process after abuse and the worse the effectwill be on the child's subsequent mental health. Clinical examples are given of some of theconcepts described.

Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy, 2016

EMOTIONAL REPERCUSSION IN CHILDREN VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE: A NARRATIVE REVIEW (Atena Editora), 2024

Sexual abuse is a phenomenon that affects different spheres of a person's life, especially in the emotional field. It is observed that society is organized through social roles, which establish expectations about the behavior of individuals. The objective of the study was to understand the emotional repercussions of sexual abuse on children and adolescents, analyzing the influence of gender roles on this event. The research was framed as a narrative literature review, of an exploratory nature, the data collection took place in the following databases: PUBMED, LILACS, CAPES, SCIELO and PEPSIC. The descriptors used to search for data were “sexual abuse”, “children” and “emotional”. The present study found that the consequences produced by sexual abuse are related to the manifestation of symptoms characteristic of nosological conditions. It is understood that these behaviors come in an intensified way and cause harm in several aspects required for the development of these subjects. The other outcomes suggest that children and adolescents who are victims of abuse exhibit behavioral changes, and these changes are presented as difficulty understanding aspects about sexuality, concerns about body image and inability to interact with the changes generated by development, evocation of behaviors non-suicidal and suicidal self-harm and experiences of negative affect. It is concluded that a tiny amount of research that met the criteria analyzed the behavioral and emotional repercussions in light of gender roles. The consequences entailed, for the most part, are perceived as generalizable to boys and girls.