Child Sexual Assault - Long Term Effects

LONG TERM EFFECTS FOR
ADULT SURVIVOR

Physical Illnesses

•	For others, the way they coped led to illness.
•	Migraines.
•	Pelvic disorders.
•	Problems with sexual organs, asthma, arthritis.

Blame-Responsibility

•	Number of reasons to blame self.
•	Told by the offender.
•	Try to find a reason why.
•	Must have been bad.
•	Non-supportive, non-offending parent didn’t believe them.
•	Removed from their family.
•	Family may have divided its loyalties.
•	Might have experienced sensual or sexual pleasure.
•	Not unusual for the only attention or love the child received was through the sexually abusive acts.

Fear of

•	The abuser abusing them again.
•	The abuser retaliating against them.
•	Being different.
•	Bodily damage.
•	Fear of the unknown.
	Fear of repeating the family pattern.
•	Fears over time can develop into paranoia or cause panic attacks which restrict a victim/survivor’s life functioning.

Depression

•	Results from the tremendous sense of loss.
•	Loss of oneself.
•	Loss of one’s family.
•	Loss of one’s childhood.
•	Loss of one’s control over life.
•	Hopelessness.
•	Overwhelming variety of feelings and problems.
•	Shut out others.
•	World has not been a safe place.

Self-Identity/Self-esteem

•	Identify themselves predominantly in terms of having been victimized.
•	Internalize this image as negative, dirty, or damaged.
•	Told directly.
•	By being the object of victimization.
•	Felt uncared for, undeserving, worthless, and humiliated.
•	Worthless and humiliated.
•	Don’t recognize the inner strength and courage to have endured such trauma.
•	This inhibits the initial momentum to start the healing process and recognize their right to love free from victimization.

Anger (may be evident due to)

•	Lack of protection.
•	Disruption.
•	Disruption in present relationships.
•	Restrictions.
•	Go through painful process.
•	Anger if not expressed openly, been turned inward as a previous coping mechanism that was necessary for survival.
•	Result in self-destructive patterns.
•	Necessary part of the healing process is getting in touch with this anger.
•	Placing in proper source.
•	Express it in a healthy way.

Inability to Trust

•	Bond of trust is violated.
•	Carry this distrust to adult relationships.
•	Related to the individual’s ability to trust their own feelings, perceptions and judgment regarding the world around them.

Role Boundary Confusion

•	Particularly if it occurred between family members.
•	No clear boundaries.
•	Not even clear physical boundaries or private space.
•	Bedroom doors removed, no locks.
•	Position of housekeeper, sexual parent, caretaker.

Grief

•	Necessary part of healing is grieving.

Issues of Power/Control

•	Power and control have been taken.
•	In an attempt to regain control, become very authoritarian, inflexible
•	Another example victimization of younger children to try to re-enact what happened to them and regain control.
•	Other end of the spectrum is developing relationships with people that are perceived as having more power and control than themselves.
•	This essentially is a continuance of the role of a weaker, powerless person who is devoid of assertiveness skills.

Social Skills

•	Isolated in order to keep the secret.
•	Role reversal.
•	Barrier between the child and his or her peers.
•	Carries into adulthood.
•	Poor development of healthy social skills.
•	Society also further isolates and stigmatizes sexual abuse victims with insensitivity, uncomfortableness and victim-blaming.

Family Script

•	Learning of unhealthy patterns.
•	Final long-term effect.
•	Re-writing this family script of dealing.

Sexual Intimacy Concerns

•	Normal sexuality.
•	Learn to respect their bodies.
•	Own their bodies
•	Sexually abused child has had this normal sexuality development interrupted.
•	Their body is not theirs.
•	Do not learn how to say "No."
•	Touch is associated with hurt.
•	Confusion.
•	Negative self body image.
•	Covering the body with tots of layers of clothes.
•	Being large in body size and unapproachable or thin.

Other Sexual Intimacy Concerns

•	Invisible.
•	Feel unclean, damaged.
•	Interferes with establishing healthy sexual relationships as an adult
•	Touch is equated with negative, fearful.
•	Message is sex is bad, sex is dirty.
•	Feelings and experiences may in adulthood is through sexualizing all relationships.
•	To be loved, cared for and ask for sex.
•	May sexualize even non-sexual needs.
•	Establishing intimate relationships as adults, may not know how to give or receive nurturing.
•	Close physical experience may be threatening or uncomfortable.
•	Sabotage relationships.

Escape/Addictions/Self-Abuse

•	Resultant behavior from the long-term effects of sexual abuse is self-destructive.
•	Escape the painful memories.
•	Drug or alcohol abuse..
•	Eating addiction.
•	Self mutilation.