The Psychological Factors Involved in Child Abuse Essay

Child sexual abuse (CSA) remains a severe and widespread societal problem in the United States. 62,939 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in 2012 (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2013). Though difficult to obtain concrete figures, it is estimated that approximately 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before the age of 18 (American Psychological Association, 2011). CSA shows no prejudice with regard to social class, ethnicity, or other demographic variables. As discussed later, not only does CSA negatively impact the child presently and later in life-psychologically and behaviorally, but it also creates a burden on communities and mental and physical health care services.

with Research conducted on the characteristics of female sexual abusers uses three specific case examples of young girls, ages: ten, twelve, and sixteen. In two of three case examples, the girls had reported being sexually abused at a young age. The third girl, age sixteen, did not explicitly state she had been sexually abused, but has close ties with her father who is a known sex-offender,; therefore it is believed that she has been sexually abused during childhood. A review of adolescent offenders of sexual abuse, under the age of 21, shows: “Chi-square analyses showed significant associations between those who targeted children and being sexually abused or having a family member subject to sexual abuse” The study also reports that those that have experienced sexual assault at a young age, and have been reported to sexually assault other children typically have poor relationships with peers and family members in addition to experiencing two or more instances of

In the past ten years researchers have increase their knowledge on the understanding of the different effects that maltreatment has on early brain development. A foundation has been set for the neurobiological explanations of children who have experienced sexual abuse in their early years of life. The explanations include areas of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional struggles. There are many different internal and external factors that associate with the way the child develops into adulthood. Variables that can be taken into account are individual factors and environmental factors. For example individual factors consist of children’s temperaments and vulnerability. In regards to environmental factors this contains how caregivers portray abuse along with overall family atmosphere. Some other specific variables associated with abuse are duration, amount of violence, and relationship between victim and abuser. In addition, age has a strong impact on the victim in regards to adult sexual behavior. When a child is abused at a young age he or she is more likely to engage in sexualized external behavior. At the age of six or younger, children have a higher chance to show their abuse through inappropriate and aggressive sexualized behavior. As for older children of twelve and up they lean more towards fear of sex. These children shoe more internal behavior problems as well (Aaron, 2012).

Sexual abuse can be very devastating to an individual both short term and long term. Being a victim of abuse is important to recognize and understand because of the long lasting negative effects of psychological problems and interpersonal distress that are often associated with the abuse (Messman & Long, 2003). Abuse can happen to anyone, young or old, at any time in their life. Childhood abuse, in particular, is believed to increase the likelihood that women will be sexually abused as an adult, because of their vulnerability to form attachments with men who victimize them (Czaja, Dutton, & Spatz, 2008). Some people never experience any kind of abuse, others might be a

In the discussion of this study, it was noted that the offender group was more frequently abused in multiple ways (physical and emotional, the non-offender group was disregarded in analysis of single abuse since they obviously had a 100% victimization rate) than the non-offender group, possibly because they were more socially disadvantaged and therefore more likely to be reported and convicted than those more privileged (Briggs & Hawkins, 1996). It was concluded by Briggs and Hawkins (1996) that since an initial requirement of the non-offender group was that they be a victim of CSA, it would not be reasonable to point to victimization as a probable reason for becoming an offender based on this data, though they do assume that a 93% victimization rate (the percentage of offenders that were victims of CSA) is higher than the general population. The authors note their contribution to the field of research on this topic as a realization that boys who discount their own victimization are more likely to become a child molester than those who realize what has happened to them is not normal (Briggs & Hawkins, 1996).

Wolfe (1999) states “Unlike physical abuse and neglect, sexual abuse has no connection to child rearing, discipline, or inattention to developmental needs. Rather, it constitutes a breach of trust, deception, intrusion, and exploitation of a child’s innocence and status. (Finkelhor, 1995). Whereas all types of maltreatment share a common ground in relation to the abuse of power by an adult over a child, sexual abuse stands out from physical abuse and neglect in terms of these specific dynamics.” (p. 10). Perpetrators of child sexual abuse are almost always known to a child, they are usually close family members or friends and are often well known to a child. They can be anyone; fathers, stepfathers, uncles, brothers, and non relatives including friends, neighbors, and even child care workers. Child sexual abuse is usually committed more often by male perpetrators, whom are often the child’s father or father figure. In the end, children will suffer significant emotional and physical consequences, which often last a

This article describes the effects and outcome when sexual abuse has been inflicted upon children at various ages. The article expresses how the trauma is distinct from all other types of trauma due to the fact that many victims that experience sexual abuse are too young to seek help from the situation. The article explains that children are more likely to be raped or molested by close family members than from a random stranger.

Research further suggests that certain characteristics of the abusive experience father-daughter incest, physical force and level of sexual activity tend to be associated with a more negative long-term outcome in women (Coffey, 1996). Sexual abuse may stint from early childhood that has continued to surface in adulthood or a specific incident that occurred in adulthood. Either way the psychological aspect of abuse can be a vast amount of emotional and mental disorders. For example, the

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a prevalent phenomenon in society, with approximately one in three girls and one in ten boys under 18 years of age experiencing it (Loeb et al., 2002). For the purposes of this paper, CSA will be defined as any sexual behavior, forced or coerced, performed on someone who is aged 18 years or younger, any sexual contact with a child 12 years and younger by someone at least five years older, and any sexual contact with an adolescent between the ages of 13 -18 years and an adult ten years older or more (Hiebert-Murphy, 1998). Recently, some research has found that mothers who reported instances of abuse in their childhood also had children who had been sexually abused, suggesting that CSA is an intergenerational

In today’s society child abuse is a serious issue. There are three different types of abuse: physical, mental and sexual. Child sexual abuse is classified as an individual abused under the age of 18. In 2007, in the United States it was estimated that 60,344 children of 794,000 victims of mal-treatment were sexually abused. Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) tends to be the most damaging out of all the different types of abuse. Child sexual abuse tends to be the most detrimental because the perpetrator could be someone the child knows. Not all cases of child sexual abuse are reported. According to Ahkers, Bahls, Mundt, & Schaefer, (2012) child abuse is defined as “showing pornography to a child, engaging in sexual talks with a child, undressing or masturbating in the presence of a child, as well as more intrusive physical acts, such as fondling, oral sex, or penetration. Overall this literature focused on female victims and survivors of child sexual abuse. Young girls tend to have a higher risk of becoming a victim of child sexual abuse. Child abuse has a negative influence on interpersonal functioning. If not treated the child could suffer with long term affects as an adult such as depression, anxiety, or shame and guilt. Being a victim of child abuse can cause severe damage, not only is the victim’s childhood is ruined but the child could suffer with self-acceptance, a mental disorder, or some type of physical injury. There are other factors and risk of being a

The pains and the pleasures experienced at the past as a result of sexual abuse are usually tagged along in the present adult relationships. Psychologists have reported that the pain from mental and sexual torture or abuse experienced during childhood are usually almost impossible to erase them beyond adolescents and in adult relationships (Mullen, 1993). Researchers also argue out that the survivors who experienced sexual abuse during their childhood years are relatively more susceptible or more prone to being assaulted or revictimized again during their adolescent years and in their adult relationships. Females have been indicated to be more prone to sexually abuse as compared to males (Putnam, 2003). Childhood sexual abuse is likely to shape an individual’s personality and thereby affect interactions with others and her environment.

Rejecting the ‘victim’ label by a show of strength, boys often find that their aggression leads to problems at school and sometimes with the law. It is not uncommon to find that male victims and adult male survivors of child sexual assault reserve their greatest anger for women. This anger against women stems partly from the myth that being victimized equates to being “weak” or “feminine”. This hate and wanting to reject these labels often translates into hatred, specifically towards women. Victims often believe that their mother knew what was happening and that they did nothing to intervene. Whether the offender is heterosexual or homosexual, male or female, boys who are sexually abused worry about what this means for their sexuality. If they were assaulted by another male they wonder if they are gay and if the offender targeted them because of this. There still exist a strong core of homophobia in our society, gay men who are sexually abused have to deal not only with the stigma attached to being gay, but also with the myth that the reason they are gay is because they were sexually

For this study, sexual victimization was defined as (a) sexual contact (i.e., physical touch) between a child (12 years and under) and a post pubertal person at least five years older than the child; (b) sexual contact between an adolescent (13 to 16 years old) and an adult at least 10 years older; or (c) sexual contact between any child or adolescent under 16 years old and a person or persons who used physical force. This study consisted of 103 women who ranged in age from 18 to 56 who had been sexually victimized as children. Another group of 88 was gathered of women who ranged in age from 18 to 57 who had not been sexually victimized as children. Many different aspects between the women of the two groups were compared including marital status,

Child sexual abuse is a social crisis of significant magnitude. This type of abuse has been found to be correlated with the advancement of an extensive range of mental health and social problems in children and adults. Child sexual abuse is the term used when an adult uses a child or adolescent for his own sexual gratification or pleasure. Furthermore, a frequent expression of childhood sexual abuse is control over the abused child. This type of abuse knows no particular demographic and occurs across all social, cultural, economic, and religious lines (The national clearinghouse on family violence. 1993). Moreover, this type of abuse does not always involve penetration, but also includes inappropriate touching or witnessing a sexual acts. Adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse have an array of short and long term effects originating from the exploitation. Furthermore, survivors suffer from very low self-esteem and frequently take responsibility for the abuse. Finally, the effects of childhood sexual abuse include sleeping disorders, co-dependency, and may continue to be abused by others even after they leave an abusive environment.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 9.3% of cases of maltreatment of children in 2012 were classified as sexual abuse. Also, 62,939 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in 2012. Childhood sexual abuse refers to a kind of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation (Zimbardo, Johnson & McCann, 2014). There are many risks factors and reasons for childhood sexual abuse. These include family structure, gender, age, race, ethnicity, place of residence, and socioeconomic status. For example, children who live with a single parent, who is female, who are the ages of between 7 and 13, who are African American or Hispanic ethnicity, who live in rural areas, and who are in low socioeconomic status households are more likely to be identified as a victim of child sexual abuse. Also, children who witness or are the victim of other crimes are significantly more likely to be sexually abused. It has great impacts on various facets of a victim’s adult life