Child Sexual Abuse
Emotional and cognitive effects of sexual abuse on victims include:
- Intense feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety, fear, depression, and anger.
- Debilitating psychological problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder, neuroses, character disorders, and multiple personality disorder.
- An inability to concentrate and shortened attention spans.
Because of these effects, victims will show signs, or indicators, of abuse that include:
- Submissiveness. Sexually abused children – especially younger ones - can become very passive and will accept anything that happens to them.
- Fears that would seem irrational. Abused children will suddenly not want to be around particular persons they once liked. They will fear being touched by any adult because of one adult who may be touching and hurting them.
- Self-destructive behaviors. Depressed abuse victims will seek to relieve their pain through the use of alcohol or drugs, will engage in high-risk sexual activity, and will often attempt suicide.
- Hostility and aggressive acting out such as delinquency and other criminal behavior.
- Overtly-sexualized behavior, including sexual aggressiveness or promiscuity, early onset of voluntary sexual activity, inappropriate knowledge of sexual matters, excessive masturbation, or a generalized preoccupation with sex.
- Avoidance of friends because victims fear that what is happening to them is apparent. Adults are avoided because of a generalized loss of trust.
- School-related behaviors. Sexual abuse victims arrive early and stay late because they feel safe in the school environment. Some may have an excessive number of excused absences.
