Many people get confused when they find out more information about child sexual abuse. If 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys experience child sexual abuse, then large portions of the population must be directly impacted by sexual abuse in their families and communities. But the very scope of the problem often makes it difficult for people to fathom what the statistics mean. Often upon learning about the high prevalence and negative impact of child sexual abuse, many people try to find a way to shrink such an unbearable reality into something more manageable. It can be difficult for people to know how they should feel or what they should do about such a serious social problem. In order to minimize the problem, most people tend to go back and forth between two beliefs about the impact of child sexual abuse: either child sexual abuse is absolutely devastating, or else it really isn't all that bad. If they believe it is completely and totally devastating, people find it hard to believe that it happens so much. If they believe it is not all that bad, then they are more able to tolerate the statistics. The harm of child sexual abuse gets measured in relation to its prevalence - people can only bear to know one part of the picture, so often either the harm or the prevalence are minimized to make the picture more bearable.

Child sexual abuse has a difficult and lasting impact, and this shows up differently for different people. Survivors experience a wide range of responses to the abuse, from severe post-traumatic stress disorder to less permanent forms of pain, stress and confusion. Survivors of child sexual abuse experience a range of effects, including dissociation or "checking out," feeling isolated and alone, hyper-vigilence, and a difficulty or fear of intimacy and closeness with others. Survivors also often experience distrust of themselves and others, shame, anger, grief, betrayal, a sense of losing themselves or being "tainted," and a low self-esteem. Many report a higher use of numbing devices including drugs and alcohol, and lots of confusion with boundaries.

For children who are abused sexually, a sense of safety in them and with others is often broken. People have a variety of ways to try and cope with and repair this breech. How a child's family or community responds to sexual abuse also has a deep influence on their health and recovery. The more supportive people are to the victim, the greater the victim's likely resiliency and recovery from the abuse. Research suggests that a child's resilience is also supported by having other positive relationships in their lives, by their connection to a broader sense of meaning or purpose, by a connection to nature or animals, and/or by having a way to express themselves creatively. At a broader societal level, a supportive community and family who can acknowledge the abuse, an offender who is able to take accountability for their actions, and survivor participation in the public response to the offender can all help to lessen the long-term harm of child sexual abuse.

[7] << First | [8] < Previous | [9] Contents | [10] Next > | [11] Last >>
[12] Single-Page Format

[1]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_question_121.html
[2]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_question_126.html
[3]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_category_103.html
[4]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_question_128.html
[5]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_question_130.html
[6]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_category_singlepage_103.html
[7]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_question_121.html
[8]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_question_126.html
[9]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_category_103.html
[10]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_question_128.html
[11]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_question_130.html
[12]: http://www.nycagainstrape.org/home/nycaasa/stage.nycagainstrape.org/faq_category_singlepage_103.html

Copyright © 2000-2008 by The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault