Suicidal and non-suicidal self-harm behaviors in victims of sexual violence against children

Abstract

Sexual violence against children and suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors are two social and health problems that have increased. Sexual assaults have an impact, affecting the tendency to carry out autolytic behaviors. Therefore, it was intended to study the relationship between having been a victim of sexual violence in their childhood and the probability of engaging in suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors in adolescence and early adulthood. For this, a systematic review has been carried out, through the Pubmed and PsycInfo databases of articles published between 2015 and 2022. A significant relationship has been found between both problems, observing that the suicide attempts of these victims were intrinsically related to their experiences of aggression. Thus, it has been found that variables such as gender, rumination, emotional dysregulation, social support, and characteristics of aggression mediate the relationship between sexual violence against children and suicidal and non-suicidal autolytic behaviors. This type of investigation helps us to establish the focus of intervention in the cases of victims of child sexual assault, but it should also help to give visibility to the problem and promote preventive intervention protecting children.