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Abstract

People find it hard to talk about sexual abuse of any kind, let alone acknowledge the fact abuse of children is more like a daily occurrence in the modern day society. Nonetheless, over the recent past, one of the greatest concerns with most legislative and professional initiatives has been the issue of child sexual abuse. The rising number of public declarations, as well as the expanding literature about the issue of sexual abuse is enough evidence to prove that the prevalence of child sexual abuse is still quite alarming. According to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), over 10% of substantiated cases of child abuse within the last three years involved child sexual abuse. The effects of sexual abuse can range from no obvious effects to very severe and complex ones.

Introduction

Most professionals are objectively certain that they know what child sexual abuse is, and there is a rational amount of agreement about this. For example, child sexual abuse is often perceived as a form of abuse in which adults or older adolescents uses a child for the sole purpose of sexual stimulation. It includes physical sexual contact with a child, indecent posture or even the use of children to produce pornographic material. Though, nowadays some people would still question the inclusion of sexual acts that do not involve penetration as one of the most rampant forms of child sexual abuse.

While it’s evident that statistics mainly indicate that girls are more regularly the targets of sexual abuse, the number of boys is also noteworthy (Alaggia & Mishna, 2014). This paper will address several key issues around child sexual abuse and its effects on the affected individuals.

Forms of child sexual abuse

As mentioned earlier, child sexual abuse is a broad spectrum which mainly includes physical sexual intercourse and its deviations. Touching sexual abuses include: fondling, penetrating a child’s anus or vagina, and making a child touch an adult’s sex organs. None-touching forms of sexual abuse include: exhibitionism or engagement in indecent exposure, exposing a child to pornographic material, and masturbating in front of a child. Child sexual exploitation is also another common form of child abuse that affects up to 1 in 100 children on a daily basis (Alaggia & Mishna, 2014).

According to Rus & Gălbează, (2013), more than 90 percent have suffered at least one of these forms of child sexual abuses. However, these experts assert that a good number of parents believe that child abuse primarily involves physical or sexual violence or child neglect. Nonetheless, the study further reveals that approximately 20000 sexual crimes against children were documented within the past two years in Romania, and mainly involved virtually all forms of child sexual abuse, particularly against girls and boys under the age of 16. This actually translates to about 35 percent of all sexual crimes reported in 2012/13 (Rus & Gălbează, 2013).

Effects of child sexual abuse

The consequences of child sexual abuse can range from physical to psychological ones. According to a recent research conducted with gastroenterology clinic patients, it emerged that majority of patients (approximately 53%) with functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorders had a history of child sexual abuse. In fact, the study reaffirmed that children with a history sexual abuse by the people close to them were more likely to experience GI symptoms compared to those with any history of sexual abuse. A good number of researchers have also reconnoitered the relationship between child sexual abuse, and according to Bolen, (2002), victims of sexual abuse often suffer musculoskeletal pain symptoms, such as back aches, muscle aches, fibromyalgia, joint pain and general symptoms of pain. However, immediate physical effects may include: bruises, broken or dislocated bones, burns, lacerations, and may be permanent disabilities.

While it’s quite difficult for someone to identify key psychological impacts of sexual abuse, physical impacts tend to be easily distinguishable. Nevertheless, the psychological impacts can either be short-term or long-term, but perhaps it’s important to point out the fact that psychological effects vary according to certain aspects like the child's developmental stage as well as the circumstances of the abuse (Bolen, 2002).

Psychological impacts may include sleep disturbances, regressive behaviors, overeating problems (leading to obesity), and non-participation in school and in important social activities. Long term effects can affect the victim for so many years, particularly into adulthood. For instance, a recent study report published in the American Journal of Psychology has revealed that about 10 percent of adults who were sexually abused during their childhood exhibit distinct symptoms of depression and high levels of anxiety. Most adults experience a lot of problems with their anxiety, for instance, high levels of anxiety occasioned by a childhood sexual abuse predisposes an individual to psychological problems like drug abuse and alcoholism and situation specific anxiety (Alaggia & Mishna, 2014).

Re-victimization is another rampant psychological effect of child sexual abuse, and about 33 percent of abused children will ultimately victimize their own children. 25 percent of abused teens find it hard to engage in healthy relationships in future, but will be more likely to insist on practicing safe sex. Basically, the short-term effects of child abuse are wide-ranging.

Intervention methods for child sex abuse

There are two broad intervention methods for child sexual abuse: cognitive-behavioral interventions, and behavioral interventions and counseling. As part of the overall intervention, these methods are usually administered by a multidisciplinary team. As a parent, one has to protect his/her child, support him/her if abused, reports cases of child abuse, and teach others about child abuse. Abused individuals must be counseled to help them overcome psychological consequences. The effectiveness of these methods entirely depends on the victim’s extent of physical and psychological damage (Sanderson, 2006).

References

Alaggia, R., & Mishna, F. (2014). Self Psychology and Male Child Sexual Abuse: Healing Relational Betrayal. Clinical Social Work Journal, 42(1), 41-48. doi:10.1007/s10615- 013-0453-2

Bolen, R. M. (2002). Child sexual abuse: Its scope and our failure. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

Rus, M., & Gălbează, A. (2013). Psychological Aspects of Child Sexual Abuse. Contemporary Readings In Law & Social Justice, 5(2), 499-510.

Sanderson, C. (2006). Counselling adult survivors of child sexual abuse. London: J. Kingsley.