Trauma-Focused CBT for Reducing the Behavior Problems of Adolescents Abused Sexually during Childhood

Abstract

history of childhood is a nightmare from which we have only recently begun to awaken. The further back in history one goes, the lower the level of child care, and the more likely children are to be killed, abandoned, beaten, terrorized and sexually abused.(DeMause, 1974, p.l).19% of world's children live in and every fifth child across the world lives in (National Study of Child Abuse, NSCA, 2007). According to Working Group Report on Women and Children for the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012), India has the world's largest number of sexually abused children, with a child below 16 years raped every 155th minute, a child below 10 every 13th hour, and one in every 10 children sexually abused at any point of time (NSCA, 2007, p. 7). Child sexual abuse is the involvement of a child in a sexual activity that he or she does not comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violate the laws or social taboos of society (World Health Organization, WHO, 2006). It is evidenced by the activity between a child and an adult or another child who by age or development is in a relationship of responsibility, trust or power, the activity being intended to gratify or satisfy the needs of the other person (WHO, 2006). Sexual abuse tends to include physical as well as non-physical acts. It incorporates fondling a child's genitals, making the child fondle an adult's genitals, sexual assault (intercourse, incest, rape and sodomy), exhibitionism and pornography. To be considered child abuse, these acts have to be committed by a person responsible for the care of the child or related to the child (for example a baby-sitter, parent, neighbor, relatives, extended family member, peer, older child, friend, stranger, or a day-care provider) (NSCA, 2007).According to the first ever national 'Study on Child Abuse' (2007) released by Indian Ministry of Women and Child Development covering 13 Indian states and comprising 12447 children (51.9% males, 48.1% females) in the age group of 5-18 years: 53.22% children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar and Delhi reported the highest percentage of sexual abuse among both boys and girls. 21.90% child respondents reported facing severe forms of sexual abuse and 50.76% other forms of sexual abuse. 50% abuses are persons known to the child or in a position of trust and responsibility. Most children did not report the matter to anyone. According to Tulir (2006), study comprising 2211 school going children in Chennai, the prevalence rate of child sexual abuse was found to be 42%, with children from all socio-economic status being equally vulnerable. Whereas the prevalence rate among girls was found to be 39%, it was 48% among boys. 15% of both girls and boys had been abused severely. In another study it was found by Sahski (1997), an organization based in Delhi, that 63% of girls in Delhi, have had experienced child sexual abuse at the hands of a family member (Ministry of Women and Child Development, MWCD, 2006). In a study of conducted by RAHI (Recovering and Healing from Incest, 1997) comprising 1000 girls from 5 different states in India, it was found that 50% of the girls reported to have had experienced abuse before the age of 12, where 35% had been abused between the ages of 12- 16 years (MWCD, 2006). In a cross-sectional survey through focused group discussions by Patel and Andrew (2001), on 811 adolescents from 11th standard from various higher secondary schools of Goa, it was found that some form of sexual abuse had been experienced by one-third of adolescents. With approximately 6% of adolescents underwent coercive sex.The review of empirical data by Araji and Finkelhor (1986) attempted to explain the causes behind adults getting sexually interested and involved with children. It has been suggested in this review that: (1) best experimental research were directed toward establishing that those who did sexual abuse do show an unusual pattern of sexual arousal towards children, (2) molesters in many studies were blocked in their social and heterosexual relationships; (3) a well established disinhibiting factor which played a crucial role in many sexual abuse offences was found to be alcohol; (4) even the 'emotional congruence' notion was supported in this review, that children, due to their lack of dominance, do have some special meaning for paedophiles; and (4) many perpetrators of child sexual abuse themselves were victims of childhood sexual abuse (Araji & Finkelhor, 1986). …