Child Abuse

Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Adulthood

Child abuse is a serious issue in today's society. Many people have been victims of child abuse. There are three forms of child abuse: physical, emotional, and sexual. Many researchers believe that sexual abuse is the most detrimental of the three. A middle-aged adult who is feeling depressed will probably not relate it back to his childhood, but maybe he should. The short-term effects of childhood sexual abuse have been proven valid, but now the question is, do the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse affect middle-aged adults? Many contradicting views arise from the subject of childhood sexual abuse. Researchers and psychologists argue on this issue. Childhood sexual abuse has the potential to damage a child physically, emotionally, and behaviourally for the rest of his or her childhood, and the effects have been connected to lasting into middle-aged adulthood.

Research has been conducted on what type of children are the most at risk of being sexually abused. Childhood abuse has a greater chance of happening to children of certain backgrounds. One researcher states that "Child sexual abuse occurs more frequently in children from socially deprived and disorganized family backgrounds. Marital dysfunction, as evidenced by parental separation and domestic violence, is associated with higher risks of child sexual abuse" (Mullen 4). Mullen goes on to state that "The possibility has been raised that characteristics such as physical attractiveness, temperament, or physical maturity might increase the risks of children being sexually abused" (4).

Many researchers link behavioural problems in adulthood to childhood abuse. One researcher says that "An adult who was sexually abused as a child has a greater chance of becoming violent, suicidal, and abusive to their children than an adult who was not abused sexually as a child" (Kliest 155). These characteristics could hinder a victim from living a normal lifestyle and having a family. Kliest also states, "Adults who were abused sexually as children will have a greater chance than those who were not of experiencing sexual dysfunction, such as flashbacks, difficulty in arousal, and phobic reactions to sexual intimacy" (156). Many researchers agree that childhood sexual abuse has a negative effect on an adult's personal relationships. Another researcher states, "A history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) appears to have an adverse impact on the quality of adult intimate relationships, and they report avoiding the development of close adult relationships because of their fear of rejection" (Whiffen 1103). These behavioural problems possess the ability to destroy an adult's intimate relationships.

Being sexually abused as a child has the power to lead to mental health problems as a middle-aged adult. Depression is a common effect of childhood sexual abuse for middle-aged adults. Shane Kasner, a psychologist, states, "Research has consistently found that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with poor psychological outcome in adult populations" (Kasner 1245). Valerie Whiffen, a psychologist, reports that there is strong evidence relating childhood sexual abuse (CSA) with adult depression (Whiffen 1102). Whiffen says, "Both men and women with a history of childhood sexual abuse reported more interpersonal problems than individuals without this history" (1104). Another researcher documents that "It has often been reprted that suffering abuse as a child can have a negative effect on one's mental health as an adult. Several studies of female psychiatric inpatients and outpatients have found that 36% to 51% of subjects reported histories of sexual abuse" (Barnard-Thompson 6). That is a very alarming number. Barnard-Thompson also report that "Residents also recognized the significant association of post-traumatic stress disorder, boderline personality disorder, and dissociative disorders with child sexual abuse" (6). These are just a few examples of the outcomes that sexual abuse can cause in middle-aged adults. L.A. McKeown, a doctor, states that "adult women who were sexually abused as children have different hormonal reactions to stress than women who were not abused (McKeown 1). McKeown also says "Women who ere not victims of abuse, whether they were depressed or not, had a heightened biological response to the stressful situation, the degree of their response correlated with the severity of the childhood trauma" (1). It has been proven that there is damaging emotional effects that accompany middle-aged adults who are victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Research has been done to argue that a child who was sexually abused has a chance of developing physical problems as a middle-aged adult. Research conducted indicates that a child who was abused sexually has a greater chance of becming involved with drugs as a middle-aged adult than does a child