The Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse

by

Sarah Scrafford

There may be worse things in the world than a child being sexually abused, but to the victim of the abuse, there’s nothing that could be more traumatic than the experience they were subjected to when they were too young to realize what was going on. Statistics related to child sexual abuse tell us that the perpetrators are mostly male, that they’re most probably related to the child or known to them in some way or the other, and that male children are likely to be subject to abuse too.

Sexual abuse victims undergo trauma just like the victims of an accident, a natural disaster or any other stress-inducing incident or experience. It’s worse when they’re children, because, at first, they have no idea that their abusers are doing something wrong. And later on, when they start having misgivings, they are scared to tell people about it either because of threats from the abuser or because they feel they may not be believed.

Victims of child sexual abuse are usually beset by mental, physical, emotional and psychological problems. While the effects vary from person to person, most victims tend to grow up with anxiety and stress as constant companions. The trauma is worse when the abuser is a parent or a close relative, and when others in the family do their best to sweep things under the carpet for fear of social ridicule. Most of the time, the victim is either overtly or subtly accused of being responsible in some way for the abuse.

Victims grow up with a low amount of self-confidence, they tend to forget parts of their childhood because they’ve unconsciously blocked out the traumatic period from their memories, they are less trusting in relationships and usually have problems when it comes to sex and being touched or cuddled, they have sleep problems and are plagued by nightmares, and they are irritated often and get angry for no reason at all.

Sexual abuse takes various forms – the abuser may touch or fondle the child inappropriately, he or she may expose their genital organs to the child and ask him or her to touch them, and in the worst cases, have sexual or anal intercourse with the child. Children who are subject to intercourse find themselves with chronic pains in their pelvic and abdominal regions, they experience pain and irregularity when menstruating, sexual relations in adulthood are painful, and they’re prone to chronic headaches, backaches and migraines. The most unlucky ones are the girls who’ve been abused so badly that their reproductive organs are permanently damaged.

Though child sexual abuse is widespread across the world, there are problems with addressing this issue – the shame, stigma and guilt (the victims often feel that they were in some way to blame for the whole sordid affair) associated with the abuse make victims hesitant to come forward with their stories. They’re also scared that people may not believe them. And even if they do come out in the open, the families may not always be supportive, especially when a member is the accused. This makes it difficult to catch repeat offenders who are free to continue this behaviour because they’re secure in the knowledge that the children will not tell anyone, and even if they do, they’re unlikely to be believed.

The Catch 22 situation has made it harder for parents and children to trust anyone, even people who are close to the family. Parents must also explain to their kids about the difference between a good touch and a bad touch. It’s the only way we can prevent our children from being added to the already long list of victims.

By-line: This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of Becoming an Ultrasound Technician. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

Dr T comments: Childhood Sexual Abuse is one of 10 identified Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE.) To learn more about Adverse Childhood Experiences, please visit the ACE Study website.