Impact of child sexual abuse: A review of the research.

Reviews studies that have tried to empirically confirm the effects of child sexual abuse cited in the clinical literature. In regard to initial effects, empirical studies have indicated reactions—in at least some portion of the victim population—of fear, anxiety, depression, anger and hostility, aggression, and sexually inappropriate behavior. Frequently reported long-term effects include depression and self-destructive behavior, anxiety, feelings of isolation and stigma, poor self-esteem, difficulty in trusting others, a tendency toward revictimization, substance abuse, and sexual maladjustment. The kinds of abuse that appear to be most damaging are experiences involving father figures, genital contact, and force. The effects of duration and frequency of abuse, age at onset, the child's reporting of the offense, parental reaction, and institutional response are also considered. The controversy over the impact of child sexual abuse is discussed. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early and long-term effects of child sexual abuse: An update.

New research on the impact of child sexual abuse generally confirms the conclusions of an earlier review article by A. Browne and D. Finkelhor (see record 1986-14683-001) and extends findings into a few new areas. For example, more studies are now available concerning the impact of abuse on boys, but they have not found consistent gender differences. Some longitudinal studies have also been completed; they show a decline in symptomatology in the months following disclosure. Two areas of controversy are also prominent. One concerns how to explain the relatively substantial percentages of sexually abused children in most studies who have no symptoms on current diagnostic measures. The second concerns whether posttraumatic stress disorder is a useful conceptual framework for understanding the findings on the impact of sexual abuse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial sequelae of violent victimization in a national youth sample.

In a national telephone sample of youths aged 10–16 years, over one third reported having been the victims of an assault. Victimized respondents displayed significantly more psychological and behavioral symptomatology than did non victimized respondents (more symptomatology related to post traumatic stress disorder, more sadness, and more school difficulties), even after controlling for some other possible sources of distress. Sexual assault was associated with particularly high levels of symptomatology. However, victims of other forms of assault—nonfamily assaults involving weapons or physical injury (aggravated assaults), assaults by parents, violence to genitals, and attempted kidnappings—also evidenced levels of distress that were not statistically lower than those suffered by victims of sexual assault. The findings suggest that substantial mental health morbidity in the general child and adolescent population is associated with victimization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychopathology associated with sexual abuse: A reply to Nash, Neimeyer, Hulsey, and Lambert (1998).

This article is a reply to M. R. Nash, R. A. Neimeyer, T. L. Hulsey, and W. Lambert's (1998) article in which concerns are expressed about S. Boney-McCoy and D. Finkelhor's (1996) research. The authors concur with Nash et al.'s position that a variety of samples and designs are valuable to the study of child sexual abuse (CSA), although the position is maintained that the independent contributions of family functioning and CSA to child psychopathology are most accurately evaluated with the use of longitudinal data. Additional research questions concerning the interaction of family environment and CSA are raised. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Is youth victimization related to trauma symptoms and depression after controlling for prior symptoms and family relationships? A longitudinal, prospective study

The common finding linking symptoms such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression with youth victimization (e.g., sexual abuse) might well be artifactual if preexisting psychopathology or disturbed family relationships create a common risk for both later victimization and later symptoms. This study used a longitudinal, prospective design to examine this issue. In a national random sample telephone survey, children 10 to 16 years old were interviewed and then reinterviewed approximately 15 months later about psychological problems, family relationships and victimization experiences that had occurred in the interim. Victimization in the interim was associated with PTSD-related symptoms and depression measured at Time 2, even after controlling for these symptoms and the quality of the parent-child relationship at Time 1. The association was particularly strong for sexual abuse, parental assault, and kidnapping experiences. However, these data also suggest that some of the apparent association found in cross-sectional studies between victimization and psychopathology may be due to prior psychopathology (but not parent-child relationship problems), which puts children at risk for both victimization and later symptoms.     

Impact of sexual abuse on children: A review and synthesis of recent empirical studies.

A review of 45 studies clearly demonstrates that sexually abused children have more symptoms than nonabused children, with abuse accounting for 15–45% of the variance. Fears, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), behavior problems, sexualized behaviors, and poor self-esteem occurred most frequently among a long list of symptoms noted, but no one symptom characterized a majority of sexually abused children. Some symptoms were specific to certain ages, and approximately one-third of victims had no symptoms. Penetration, the duration and frequency of the abuse, force, the relationship of the perpetrator to the child, and maternal support affected the degree of symptomatology. About two-thirds of the victimized children showed recovery during the 1st 12–28 mo. The findings suggest the absence of any specific syndrome in children who have been sexually abused and no single traumatizing process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Victimization of children.

Children suffer more victimizations than do adults, including more conventional crimes, more family violence, and some forms virtually unique to children, such as family abduction. On the basis of national statistics, these victimizations can be grouped into 3 broad categories: the pandemic, such as sibling assault, affecting most children; the acute, such as physical abuse, affecting a fractional but significant percentage; and the extraordinary, such as homicide, affecting a very small group. They can also be differentiated by the degree to which they result from the unique dependency status of children. A field called the victimology of childhood should be defined that adopts a developmental approach to understanding children's vulnerability to different types of victimizations and their different effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inventory of Problematic Internet Experiences Encountered in Clinical Practice.

People are bringing a variety of Internet-related problems into consultation with mental health professionals. This exploratory study used a systematic sample of mental health professionals and obtained both structured and open-ended information from 1,504 practitioners who reported having at least 1 client with an Internet-related problem. This article proposes an inventory of 11 types of problematic Internet experiences reported by youth and adult clients: (a) overuse; (b) pornography; (c) infidelity; (d) sexual exploitation and abuse; (e) gaming, gambling, and role-playing; (f) harassment; (g) isolative-avoidant use; (h) fraud, stealing, and deception; (i) failed online relationships; (j) harmful influence websites; and (k) risky or inappropriate use, not otherwise specified. The authors discuss the spectrum of cases within each category and implications for clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Online "predators" and their victims: Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment.

The publicity about online "predators" who prey on naive children using trickery and violence is largely inaccurate. Internet sex crimes involving adults and juveniles more often fit a model of statutory rape--adult offenders who meet, develop relationships with, and openly seduce underage teenagers--than a model of forcible sexual assault or pedophilic child molesting. This is a serious problem, but one that requires approaches different from those in current prevention messages emphasizing parental control and the dangers of divulging personal information. Developmentally appropriate prevention strategies that target youths directly and acknowledge normal adolescent interests in romance and sex are needed. These should provide younger adolescents with awareness and avoidance skills while educating older youths about the pitfalls of sexual relationships with adults and their criminal nature. Particular attention should be paid to higher risk youths, including those with histories of sexual abuse, sexual orientation concerns, and patterns of off- and online risk taking. Mental health practitioners need information about the dynamics of this problem and the characteristics of victims and offenders because they are likely to encounter related issues in a variety of contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)