Long-term Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Research Articles

Child sexual abuse in Vietnam: A review of prevalence, risk factors, and prevention strategies

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a severe global problem that has long-term psychological, physical, and societal effects for victims. This review looks at the prevalence, risk factors, and effects of CSA, with a specific emphasis on Vietnam. The frequency of CSA varies worldwide, with notable regional variations. In Vietnam, approximately 2,000 children are sexually abused each year, with females being disproportionately affected. Risk variables include age, gender, family dynamics, social level, and cultural norms. The review investigates the short- and long-term effects of CSA, which include mental health illnesses, physical health issues, and social difficulties. Prevention and intervention efforts, including as school-based education programs and parental involvement, show promise, but they encounter obstacles owing to cultural stigma and limited resources. The Vietnamese government has developed a variety of policies and legal frameworks to combat CSA, however gaps persist. This research emphasizes the importance of a multidimensional approach that involves broad education, substantial support services, and ongoing legislative improvements to effectively prevent and respond to CSA. Future study should focus on improving preventative strategies and assuring their long-term efficacy.

“I Am A Living Testimony to the Human Spirit”: A Thematic Analysis of Middle Aged and Older Adults’ Resilience after Child Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT Despite extensive documentation of the adverse impacts of child sexual abuse (CSA), less is known about long-term effects of CSA, that is, the impact in middle and late adulthood, when one is further removed from the CSA. This study describes coping strategies and positive outcomes reported by adult female survivors of child sexual abuse ages 50+ (n = 58). Responses came from an anonymous online survey of adult survivors of CSA. We conducted a qualitative “RADaR” rapid analysis on the survey’s open-ended questions. Survivors employed both internal attitudes and specific activities to cope with their childhood CSA. Most (n = 55) reported positive outcomes from CSA: self, others, and relational and/or emotive strengths. Due to survey limitations, we were unable to identify factors that contributed to survivors reporting positive outcomes and survivors who reported negative or no positive outcomes. This study suggests CSA survivors in middle and late adulthood may feel stronger as a result of abuse. More research is needed to identify factors that contribute to resilience.

My Body Protests: Childhood Sexual Abuse and the Body

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a physical assault upon the body and considered to be a complex traumatic experience affecting both body and mind. Growing evidence indicates that long-term effects of CSA include maladies such as chronic pain and fibromyalgia (FMS). The paper examines the links between trauma and its physical manifestations among CSA women from a rarely applied perspective, namely not viewing CSA women as merely victims of abuse, but rather as capable actors often marginalized by both academia and clinicians. The research demonstrates the utility of the Listening Guide method, a method derived from incorporating psychology, music, and poetry and used in uncovering additional information and knowledge regarding CSA and women's perceptions toward their bodies. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 CSA women who experienced CSA and diagnosed with chronic pain or fibromyalgia. The results indicate that the Listening Guide helps explore the voices of the self and the body that are created during the abuse and the direct connection to emotional and physical pain. The study contributes to the ongoing debate on CSA by exploring how CSA impacts on women’s bodies and emphasizing women’s experiences, dissociation, body and emotional voices, and silences.

Personal Mastery Buffers the Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Women’s Health and Family Functioning

Personal mastery has been associated with many positive outcomes and may attenuate negative responses to life stressors. Our research extends prior work by examining whether personal mastery can buffer women from long-term outcomes associated with childhood sexual abuse (CSA). We expected that: (1) women with CSA histories would report more depressive symptoms, poorer family functioning, and more physical health problems compared to women without such histories; (2) personal mastery would be associated with better outcomes in these domains; and (3) personal mastery would attenuate the effects of CSA on women’s outcomes. Data were obtained from a larger study of parenting among women with and without CSA histories. Our predictions were fully supported for depressive symptoms and family dysfunction, and partially supported for physical health. The current findings contribute to knowledge about the long-term effects of CSA and identify a protective factor that may buffer the negative sequelae of traumatic events.

Mediators of Sexual Functioning and Marital Quality in Chronically Depressed Adults with and Without a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Sexual dysfunction is common among depressed adults. Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and depressive symptomology are among the risk factors for sexual dysfunction, and these factors may interact to predict adult relationship functioning. Several models have been developed postulating interactions between these variables. We tested models of the effects of CSA and elucidate the associations between CSA, sexual dysfunction, depression severity, anxiety, and relationship quality in chronically depressed adults. Baseline data from 808 chronically depressed outpatients enrolled in the Research Evaluating the Value of Augmenting Medication with Psychotherapy study were evaluated using structural equation modeling. The Inventory of Depressive Symptomology, self-report version (IDS-SR) assessed depression severity, and the Mood and Anxiety Symptom Questionnaire Anxious Arousal subscale assessed anxiety. Sexual function was assessed with the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX), and the Quality of Marriage Index (QMI) assessed relationship quality for patients in stable relationships. CSA scores predicted depression severity on the IDS-SR, as well as lower relationship quality and sexual satisfaction. ASEX scores were significantly associated with depression severity but were not correlated with the QMI. Two models were evaluated to elucidate these associations, revealing that (i) depression severity and anxious arousal mediated the relationship between CSA and adult sexual function, (ii) anxious arousal and sexual functioning mediated the association between CSA and depression symptoms, and (iii) when these models were combined, anxious arousal emerged as the most important mediator of CSA on depression which, in turn, mediated associations with adult sexual satisfaction and relationship quality. Although CSA predicts lower relationship and sexual satisfaction among depressed adults, the long-term effects of CSA appear to be mediated by depressive and anxious symptoms. It is important to address depression and anxiety symptoms when treating patients with CSA who present with sexual dysfunction or marital concerns.

Family characteristics and long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse

OBJECTIVES. This study investigated the role of family variables in the development of psychological problems in childhood sexual abuse (CSA) survivors, contributing to the debate between the 'abuse related' perspective, which assumes a direct causal link between abuse and later problems, and the 'family dysfunction' perspective, which assumes that these problems are caused by the dysfunctional nature of families in which abuse occurs. The two questions of central concern were: (1) whether maladaptive family dynamics and CSA were each associated with later adjustment; and (2) whether these associations acted independently of one another. DESIGN. A retrospective cohort study comparing sexually abused and non-abused participants matched one-to-one on demographic variables. METHODS. The 64 clinical participants were recruited by sending questionnaires to clients on a psychological therapy waiting list, and 44 students were recruited from questionnaires made available at University Health Centres. Participants completed measures of psychological and sexual adjustment, family functioning, and construing. Multiple linear regression models investigated overall and independent associations between abuse, family circumstances, and adjustment in adulthood. RESULTS. There was only weak evidence for the influence of CSA, independently of family environment, on later psychological distress and sexual adjustment, but strong evidence for the influence of aspects of family environment, independent of abuse, on later psychological distress, sexual adjustment, self-esteem, body image, and sexual attitude. CONCLUSIONS. The findings provide support for the 'family dysfunction' perspective on the long-term effects of CSA.

Childhood Sexual Abuse in Advanced Cancer Patients in the Palliative Care Setting

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a common, distressing, yet rarely discussed topic in palliative care. The long-term effects of CSA can have a significant impact on patients' quality of life, particularly at the end of life. In this article, we aim to initiate a discussion regarding the need to address CSA in the palliative care setting, using the example of an advanced cancer patient and her caregiver sister who revealed their common past. Specifically, we will be discussing 1)the comorbidities, psychological distress, and family distress associated with CSA, 2) its impact on health care delivery, 3) an approach to initiating conversations regarding CSA, and 4) various management strategies. Successful management of CSA necessitates an interprofessional team approach and may help to improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

Sex, Science, and Social Work

In 2007, National Academy of Scholars (NAS) published The Scandal of Social Work Education, a report contending that social work education had become politicized to extent that dogma, tendentiousness, and coerced intellectual conformity were becoming integral to definition of field (NAS, 2007a, p. 4). Comparing contemporary social work education against traditional academic ideals of open-inquiry, partisan disengagement, and intellectual pluralism, report concluded, the results are scandalous (NAS, 2007b, p. 1). Is it true, as NAS report suggested, that social work education is characteristically dogmatic and doctrinaire, occasionally compromising students' first amendment rights and subverting the intellectual foundations on which modern university is based--the honest, rigorous, and, to extent possible, open-minded search for truth (NAS, 2007b, p. 1)? Unfortunately, I believe it is. Tenaciously held but critically unexamined beliefs also corrupt scientific process in social work and allied fields. Researchers may act (consciously or unconsciously) in ways that reinforce their ideological biases. True believers ignore empirical findings at odds with their beliefs or artfully reinterpret even most damning results in terms that support their favored positions. Prevailing paradigmatic accounts of social problems and proponents of those accounts frequently close off some avenues of inquiry altogether, particularly in cases in which new theories and data might undermine entrenched and politically useful perspectives. Several key areas of research related to human sexuality provide useful examples of stultifying effects of rigid ideological beliefs on scientific progress. CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE (CSA) Susan Clancy ignited a firestorm of criticism with publication of her book The Trauma Myth (2009), a research-based polemic repudiating traumatogenic theory--the dominant theory in CSA area for nearly 40 years. The traumatogenic theory purportedly explained manner by which CSA produces adverse long-term consequences and was founded on three key assumptions: long-term effects of CSA are primarily a function of trauma experienced at time of abuse; effects of such trauma on functioning later in life are direct in nature; and CSA varies in extent to which it is traumatizing, with greater severity of trauma leading to more deleterious long-term outcomes (Clancy, 2009). Clancy cited her own research and that of other investigators to argue that most victims of CSA were not subjected to violence or otherwise traumatized at time of their victimization but, rather, typically experienced feelings of confusion. She also identified a far greater role for indirect than for direct effects of CSA on functional outcomes in adulthood. Once victims fully appreciated nature of their CSA experiences (usually in adolescence or young adulthood), they frequently reported that they felt betrayed by abuser, blamed themselves for abuse, and felt ashamed of their involvement in CSA event(s). Disclosures of CSA were often greeted with disbelief or minimization of effects or nature of reported abuse, or victim was outright blamed for abuse. Clancy (2009) contended that although traumatogenic theory has done much to heighten society's awareness of CSA, it has done little for victims--in part because it does not accurately characterize nature of most victims' abuse experiences or processes by which CSA produces adverse outcomes in adulthood: First, and most obviously, sexual abuse, for most victims is not [a] traumatic experience when it happens. Second, clearly harm sexual abuse causes is not direct and immediate; before it begins to damage victims, it has to be understood (reconceptualized) and that often occurs many years after actual abuse. …

Mental health consequences of child sexual abuse

Survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) can experience a variety of long-term mental health effects on their life trajectory, which brings them to the attention of mental health services. It is vital that the mental health nurse remains aware of the mental health consequences of CSA and receptive towards patients' efforts to disclose a history of CSA. Moreover, fundamentally, the mental health nurse should endeavour to consider his/her own personal feelings on this emotive subject. This article explores the mental health effects of CSA on pre-adolescent children, adolescents, and the long-term effects of CSA into adulthood.

Consequences of childhood sexual abuse experiences on dental care

Objective Around 20% of female patients seeking dental care may have experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Several similarities between abuse situations and dental treatment lead to dental fear. Since dental fear hampers oral health, the long-term effects of CSA on dental care and the specific factors that lead to increased stress during dental treatment have been investigated in women exposed to CSA. Methods A self-administered questionnaire, which was developed to investigate the objectives of the study, was distributed to 111 women recruited from support centers for women with CSA experiences. CSA was explored with a modified version of the questionnaire developed by Wyatt. Data from 85 women with CSA experiences were used for comparison to the data of 170 matching control women recruited, who were mothers of children attending kindergarten. Results Compared to controls, women exposed to CSA exhibited several long-term effects on dental care in terms of major psychological strain during dental treatment (36.5%/18.8%; P<.005), a lower number of prophylactic controls (72.9%/89.4%; P<.005), and preference for a female dentist to a male dentist (29.4%/8.2%; P<.0001). Women with CSA experiences considered four of five defined stressors associated with dental treatment as more intense. Of these women, 28% suffered from memories of their original abuse situations during dental treatment, and 29.4% believed that the dentist should have known about their history of abuse. Conclusion CSA experiences may increase psychological strain during dental treatment. To improve dental care for women exposed to CSA, dentists should adjust their treatment plans to the specific needs of these patients.

ABNORMAL VISUAL CORTICAL DEVELOPMENT IN YOUNG WOMEN WITH A HISTORY OF REPEATED CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE: A VOXEL-BASED MORPHOMETRIC STUDY

Objectives: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is common in our society and a major risk factor for later psychopathology. Recent reports have described the long-term effects of CSA on brain structure. Key findings include frontal lobe and superior temporal gyrus asymmetry attenuation and volumetric reductions of the prefrontal cortex and prefrontal white matter, hippocampus, and corpus callosum. Little is specifically known about the effects of CSA on gray matter volume (GMV), and an objective overall assessment using voxelbased morphometry (VBM) has yet to be reported.

Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation as PTSD Mitigators in Child Sexual Abuse Survivors

Purpose and Potential benefits: Research, to our knowledge, has not examined the effect of demographic variables on PTSD symptoms among adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). This study explores the relationship between demographic variables and scores of CSA survivors on the Impact of Scale (IES). Participants were 257 women CSA survivors entering outpatient treatment at a university-based mental health center. All participants reported a CSA history and presented with psychological difficulties associated with CSA. The demographic variables investigated were relationship status, religious affiliation, ethnicity, educational level, spousal educational level income, and sexual orientation. Significance tests were used to examine each variable and scores on the Total IES and Avoidance and Intrusion Subscales. Total IES and Intrusion scores differed for sexual orientation and ethnicity in accord with conventional standards of significance (alpha less than .05). Self-reported asexuals indicated fewer intrusive and total PTSD symptoms than heterosexuals, lesbians, and bisexuals. Likewise, Hispanics reported less intrusive PTSD symptoms than Non-Hispanic Caucasians. Our findings invite further exploration of the relationship between ethnicity and sexual orientation and the long-term effects of CSA. A question for empirical investigation is whether asexuality shields against the triggering of CSA memories by a sexual relationship. Another possible area of inquiry is whether particular characteristics of Hispanic culture as a whole serve to moderate the detrimental effects of CSA.

Spiritual Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Some Implications for Teacher Education

ABSTRACT Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a phenomenon that sadly impacts millions of children. Considerable attention has been paid to the immediate and long term effects of CSA, notably in relation to the impact on psycho-social functioning. Few studies, however, have focused on what may be called the spiritual impact of childhood sexual abuse, despite the devastating consequences CSA has to the child's perception of, and relationship with, God. The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974 mandates teachers and other school personnel to report suspected cases. However, few teacher education programs prepare educators adequately for this responsibility. This paper examines the spiritual impact of CSA from a Christian perspective and discusses some of the implications this has for teacher education programs. Although the paper addresses primarily a Christian audience, the arguments are inter-religious and have applicability across a wide spectrum of faiths.

(Mis) Representations of the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse in the Courts

SUMMARY This study addresses the (mis) representations made by pro-false memory attorneys and expert witnesses in court regarding the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). Five pro-false memory positions were identified: (1) there is no causal connection between CSA and adult psychopathology; (2) the evidence is insufficient; (3) CSA does not cause specific trauma-related outcomes like borderline and dissociative identity disorder; (4) other variables than CSA explain the variance of adult psychopathology; and (5) the long-term effects of CSA are general and non-specific. Examining the testimony revealed that such pro-false memory testimony was based solely on a partial understanding of retrospective data and that pro-false memory experts do not cite the more recent prospective data. Reviewing the totality of the scientific evidence demonstrates that such pro-false memory testimony is inaccurate and has the potential of misleading the jury. Prospective studies provide sufficient evidence to causally link CSA to a number of areas of adult psychopathology including multiple, co-morbid psychiatric conditions, and possibly to link early parent-infant attachment pathology to the development of borderline and dissociative identity disorder.

Do Occupational Therapists Feel Equipped to Deal with the Adult Legacy of Childhood Sexual Abuse?

Research findings are consistent in showing a strong, specific and coherent association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and long-term psychiatric problems. Occupational therapists working in mental health services must therefore have contact with survivors of abuse, yet the literature reveals a paucity of research on their role. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine occupational therapists to explore their knowledge and practice concerning this issue. All respondents considered that awareness of CSA was pertinent to their profession and should be taught during education and training. None of them had received teaching in this area. Most respondents thought that it was not their role to deal with CSA in depth. However, the context in which they worked provided an opportunity for initial disclosure which might not happen elsewhere and needed to be handled skilfully. Occupational therapy techniques, including creative methods, link in well with other approaches, especially counselling, in treating the long-term effects of CSA. Continuing educational requirements and the role of occupational therapy with this client group need to be addressed by the profession.