NCJ Number
144438
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 8 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1993) Pages: 312-330
Date Published
1993
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This paper examined the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse in six major areas: posttraumatic stress, cognitive distortions, altered emotionality, disturbed relatedness, avoidance, and impaired self-reference.
Abstract
Although a definitive causal relationship between adult psychosocial problems and childhood sexual abuse cannot be established using current cross-sectional research methods, the large number of positive findings supports the conclusion that child sexual abuse is a significant risk factor for long-term mental health problems. Taken together, the research indicates that molestation experiences can have relatively direct and sustained impacts on psychological functioning, producing posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and impaired self-concept. Childhood sexual abuse can also motivate the development of behaviors, such as drug abuse, eating disorders, and self-mutilation, that are adaptive in the short term, but often have longer-term harmful effects. Despite these abuse-related phenomena, the relative recency of clinical awareness of sexual abuse has resulted in a lack of effective measurement strategies in this area. Specific, reliable, and valid measures are needed to produce improved assessment of abuse-related symptoms, better outcome studies, and the development of improved treatment. 109 references