The Affects of Child Abuse
The Affects of Child Sexual Abuse on Developmental Health There are an estimated 1, 500, 000 cases of child abuse reported in the United States a year and twenty per cent of these cases are child sexual abuse (Grapes 15). Unfortunately, child sexual abuse is a widespread problem across this country. It would be my wish and hopefully every parent's wish for children to have the opportunistic environment to develop into physically, socially, mentally, environmentally, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually healthy adults. However, sexual abuse victims will experience many adverse effects on their psychosocial development throughout the stages of their life. These affects depend on the extent and duration of the abuse and treatment they seek. Child sexual abuse is defined in many ways. For example some reporting agencies include only cases in which "the child has been physically penetrated", however, most developmentalists, believe that sexual abuse is the appropriate label for any act in which an adult uses a child for his or her own sexual needs, whether it be through some form of intercourse or touching clothed genitals or breasts (Berger 534). Furthermore, the book "Child Abuse" defines sexual abuse as "fondling a child
The checklists on these tests include overt masturbation, inappropriate sexual overture toward other children or adults and compulsive sexualized talk, play or fantasy (Reece 16). In order to become educated, we must first learn about the abusers themselves. Thirdly there is the Antisocial Predator, who feels no remorse, no respect for other's feelings, does not attach to his victims and basically has no conscience, which is what distinguishes him from the first two types. These see children as a form of fulfillment. It is difficult to detect child sexual abuse, because in three out of four cases, there are no physical marks or signs of abuse (Grapes 136). Finally, STOP IT NOW! encourages adults to report anything known or suspected about child abuse incidents to authorities, to make a list of who to call for advice, information or help when child abuse is occurring and to design a safety plan for the child as well as the non offending adult to follow in case they are exposed to sexual abuse ( Baker 129-171). Adults can have selective amnesia of these traumatic childhood events. Acting much younger than the child's actual age, excessive sadness, crying, clinginess and/or withdrawals from activities are also signs to watch for. Victims of early childhood may forget the event as a defense mechanism, called a repressed memory. As an adult they are successful but do not believe rules apply to him, that the world is theirs for taking. Studies suggest that recovered repressed memories can be accurate, but false memories can also occur. These methods prove to be extremely useful for psychosocial recovery and wellbeing. The book also stated that there are four general types of abusers. Child abuse is a horrendous crime in our society and can have devastating effects on the development and overall health of children. Therefore, being alert to and knowledgeable of the characteristics of offenders, symptoms of abuse and ways of prevention, child sexual abuse can be avoided and through therapy and support, victims can receive the best care for their recovery, health and wellbeing throughout their lifespan.
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