Short Paper on Childhood Sexual Abuse and the Effects of it on Adult Survivors

[This is a paper that I wrote for a class, this MAY have “triggers” to those who have experienced similar events so please be aware. The topic is childhood sexual abuse and its effects on the adult who endured the event.]  I ask you to pray that this will be used to bring healing to people who don’t even know me or expect to see this since it is so prevalent in the world.

Childhood sexual abuse is more common than we can imagine, it takes place all over the world and it has no gender or racial divides.  Rape can happen to the youngest to the oldest of people, but the rape itself isn’t the most damaging of the event, it’s the after-effects of the event that took place without a person’s consent.

WHAT IS RAPE?

               While there are various definitions of rape, over the years it has changed. Philip’s Encyclopedia defines rape as: “Crime of sexual intercourse without the victim's consent, often involving the use or threat of force. If the victim is considered incapable of giving consent (for example because s/he is below the age of consent) this is known as statutory rape, and evidence of lack of consent is not required.”[1] “The definition of rape has evolved over the past 30 years, in part due to statutory rape reforms. Federal and state governments currently use definitions of rape that recognize the diversity of types, contexts, and victims of sexual violence. Most jurisdictions define rape as nonconsensual completed or attempted intercourse involving vaginal or anal penetration by a penis, hands, fingers, or foreign object; oral penetration by a penis, with the use of force or threat of force; or inability of a victim to provide consent as a result of age, intoxication, or other factors. Many states have also established statutes criminalizing other physical and verbal sexual acts.”[2]

WHO DOES RAPE AFFECT?

Simply put, rape affects everyone.  The human population is changed once one person is raped.  The family is changed. The individual is changed and the offender probably holds within them more guilt than the person who already faces self-blame and guilt for an act they didn’t even commit.  Entire families are separated when sexual abuse takes place. “Child sexual abuse is a worldwide concern. It is an insidious, persistent, and serious problem that, depending on the population studied and definition used, affects 2–62% of women and 3–16% of men as victims.”[3] Sexual abuse can take place at any place and at any time.  Sexual abuse can happen in a home, bathroom, bar, club, bedroom, school, even in Churches, but the place isn’t the problem, the event is. Studies have actually taken place as to the particular times where rape takes place, many may think it occurs late at night, but various studies prove this to be different. “Most rapes occur in the evening hours. Most of the sexual victimizations reported in the NCVS occurred between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. For college women in the NCWSV study, more than half of rapes occurred after midnight, whereas few occurred during the day.”[4] Many children don’t report it to parents or authority figures and keep it a deep dark secret well into their adult life for fear that their parents may feel guilty for “not being there” or other things.  There are many reasons people keep being abused sexually as a child a secret, but the vast majority could claim that “inner pain” is the main purpose. Sexual abuse can last minutes but the effects of it can last a lifetime.

            “Despite the plethora of research literature on female victims of childhood sexual abuse, it is only recently that male victims have received some attention.”[5] Society has given the false impression that a majority of cases only refer to young girls, but when it comes to sexual abuse it has no gender, it happens to young boys just as much as young girls. While sexual abuse as a child is quite common, many of the times in young girls it can be noticed quickly by Doctors. “A self-administered questionnaire including eight questions on CSA was completed by 85 women exposed to CSA and 170 matched-control women. Women exposed to CSA experienced gynecologic examinations as anxiety-provoking significantly more often and sought more treatment for acute gynecologic problems; 43.5% of these women experienced memories of the original abuse situation during gynecologic consultations. Gynecologic care is particularly distressing for women exposed to CSA.”[6] 

THE EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE IN ADULTS

“Child sexual abuse rarely results in death, but its consequences to the child victim can be serious and persist through adulthood.”[7] All of the below listed effects and manifestations of childhood sexual abuse are focused on the person abused, but these effects can devastate the whole family.  These effects can alter the lives of people who had no intention or even knowledge of the event.  These are brief over-views of only some of the effects found in adults who have endured childhood sexual trauma. These effects are devastating to the person experiencing and can cause family members to wonder “why” their family member is showing certain signs. In reading these, it’s important to know that it doesn’t just touch base with the victim, but the family as well. Some of these effects that stem into a person’s adulthood and family life are:

Low self-esteem and self-hatred are commonly associated with those who have experienced sexual abuse as a child.  Due to the abuse someone can feel as though they are dirty or unwanted.  Low self-esteem is almost always linked to something that happened in a person’s past and it’s not always found because someone is overweight or isn’t advancing in life as they think they should be.  Self-hatred can take place because of the concept of not being able to fight the offender off or even because the body (not them) found some sort of enjoyment during the rape.

Depression is probably the highest manifestation found in adults who have been abused. At times every person in their life becomes depressed, but when there was severe trauma depression can almost become a part of the person’s identity.  Depression causes them to go into isolation and slowly but surely they disassociate their lives from activities that they loved and enjoyed in the past.  Family is affected when a person is in deep depression because they may feel neglected. Depression is the leading factor in various other manifestations in an adult’s life after they were sexually abused as a child.

Guilt, shame and self-blame are common links also.  Self-blame is when a person blames themselves for things that took place even though they had no control over the event itself.  Shame is when a person feels like their identity is rooted in something, for example, a person may have failed at something and they take on the identity of “I am a failure.” Guilt is a common root in sexual abuse survivors as well, it’s when a person considers themselves as “less than” or they feel they have done something wrong.  Although the victim can understand they had nothing to do with the event they can still have a strong intense feeling of guilt.  Just as shame says “I am a failure” guilt would say “I’ve failed and won’t succeed.” Both are destructive thought patterns that are common between sexual abuse survivors. Although many victims blame themselves “rape is essentially an act of power and dominance.”[8]

Finding it hard to trust another person is a key issue in sexual trauma. Most people know exactly who their offender is and because of that they find it tough to trust.  The child may have trusted the person who took advantage of them so they begin to build “walls” and “barriers” in order to “survive” just in case it takes place again because of trust.

Revictimization is when a person experiences the same event that took place again at a later time in life.  It’s not uncommon for a survivor of rape at a young age to have it take place again later on in life, this is common in females but it also takes place in men’s lives as well. “Child sexual abuse victims have a 2 to 3 times greater risk of adult revictimization than women without a history of child sexual abuse. Physical contact in abuse and revictimization in adolescence were found to lead to the greatest risk of revictimization. Repeated victims had more symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and dissociation than women with a history of child sexual abuse alone.”[9]

Flashbacks can be a factor with sexual abuse. A flashback is when a person feels as if the same event is taking place in the present although it has already taken place in the past.  These flashbacks often have “triggers” (certain things, images, smells, tastes, thoughts, etc.) that cause a person to go into this state of mind. 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is commonly found among survivors as well, although it may not be described as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but “Rape Trauma Syndrome.”  This is when a person’s physical, emotional, and mental patterns are all interlinked with anxiety, fear and distress.  It’s very close to an anxiety disorder as well. Panic disorder/attacks are symptoms. All of the effects of sexual abuse could be linked together with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This disorder develops after a person has experienced the threat of death, injury, assaults, rapes, harm or anything that a person sees as “traumatizing.” “A survey conducted in 1987 found that 57 percent of women who have been raped develop post-traumatic stress disorder. These women may lose their appetite, become easily startled, and suffer from headaches, sleep disorders, or fatigue. Many women have difficulty maintaining a normal life following a rape, and may repress the experience for an extended period before they are able to talk about it.”[10] PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) can disrupt a whole family due to the various effects it causes on one person.

Trouble with sexual intimacy is a factor when a person has been abused sexually as a child, due to the closeness of sex and their rape experience it may be tough for a person to share that part of them with someone else.  Since most people experienced their first sexual encounter with someone at a young age that was without their consent they may feel the pain of what took place during sexual encounters so they may be avoided altogether. On the other hand it can cause someone to be sexually promiscuous at a young age or later on in life.

Dissociation is a form of a “coping skill” or “defense mechanism” that can take place in the life of someone who was abused.  Dissociation is when a person separates themselves from their reality or the events that took place in it.  It can be described as when an event seems almost unreal or as if it didn’t take place.  It’s when people disconnect their feelings, identity and thoughts due to a traumatic event or the recurring thoughts of the event that has taken place.

Drug and substance abuse is a common link when researching childhood sexual abuse.  Drug addiction and alcohol addiction always has a root in the past.  Nobody wakes up and says to their family “I am going to get addicted to heroin and ruin your lives.” If nobody says that there must be something that has taken place in the life of a person that would lead them down that road.  It’s important to acknowledge that this may be a sign and symptom in someone’s life that has been abused, but maybe hasn’t revealed this information yet.

Eating disorders can also be found in victims, this is when a person overeats or under eats. It’s a form of self-harm and self-abuse towards the body, perhaps the mind makes a person think they are “under control” of their body (unlike the abuse) because they are controlling their eating habits.

Phobias are common. Phobia comes from the Greek word “phobos” which means “fear.”  Certain fears can develop certain patterns or biblically speaking “strongholds” because of the victimization at a young age.  Due to the events often taking place at a young age these phobias are developed at a young age and in the process they stem into their adult life.  The phobia can be compared to pouring concrete.  The abuse causes a person to develop a specific fear (the concrete being poured) and because they are young and they don’t know how to deal with these fears in a proper manner they linger into adulthood (concrete sets).  Once these phobias are “set in” they are hard to break and those dealing with these phobias no matter how irrational they are still fears to the person suffering under them.  Common phobias found in victims of sexual abuse are: fear of people, fear of public places (such as places where the events took place) commonly known as “agoraphobia”, fears of public speaking, fears of certain features on a person (ones similar to the person who abused them), fear of eating in front of others, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of intimacy, fear of betrayal, fear of being left alone, fear of being touched, fear of rejection and various other phobias that can take place in the life of the person. They can also show forms of “hypervigilence” which is a symptom of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  This is when a person is always “on guard” and “alert” for any type of danger or “thing” that could cause potential threat or harm to them or others.

Self-injury otherwise known as “self-harm” is a coping skill that people can bring into their lives to cause pain and injury on themselves.  Just as panic attacks and flashbacks self-injury often takes place when “triggers” are found.  Self-injury isn’t just found in cutting or burning someone, it can take place when a person is careless about their sexual life and are promiscuous.  Self-harm can take the form of anything including drug addiction and substance abuse.  Many people believe self-harm to be something that isn’t too serious but it’s something that is far too serious because it can lead into the next manifestation of childhood sexual abuse on adult survivors.

The worst thing that can take place is suicide.  Suicide is taking one’s own life.  Unfortunately someone who has experienced sexual abuse can lose hope not only in people and themselves, but life in general.  Other than suicide attempts this is the most destructive effect that can take place in the life of a person who was abused as a child or an adult for that matter. Anyone threatening suicide or contemplating thoughts of suicide should see a Doctor as soon as possible and should know that God loves them and still has a greater purpose and plan behind their lives, something that will surpass the events that have caused them to feel hopeless.

Through my own personal research the life of a person who has been sexually abused can be compared to a shattered mirror.  When that person sees a reflection of themselves, they only see fragments and when they are being healed and made whole by God it’s as if they are trying to “sweep” the pieces of the mirror together by their hands without gloves to fix it resulting in hurting themselves again.  With time, patience, God, prayer, the Bible, counseling, medication, great Doctors and anything else that is necessary the person can go from a victim to a victor. When seeking medical advice and medicine in general from a Doctor, remember to pray and ask God to give them His wisdom so that you can find what best suits you because what helps you will help your family and the lives of those around you. The truth is through Christ anyone who has experienced such an event has the right to feel hurt, but they also have the right to be helped by people and believed by people, but more so they are already overcomers through the blood of Jesus Christ.

WHERE IS GOD IN ALL OF THIS?

The initial cause of rape wasn’t found merely in the person who was the offender, but found in the Garden of Eden.  The Book of Genesis records the beginning of creation and the first man, Adam.  Adam was given a wife by God and they lived in harmony with God, but Satan sought to destroy that and he used sin in order to do that.  Once Adam and Eve sinned the effects (similar to rape) spanned throughout their lives and we are still feeling the effects of it today.  God’s plan wasn’t for what we have today on Earth which includes wars, famines, disease, poverty and even rape, but it all took place because of Satan and sin. Nevertheless, although sin arose so did a Savior and His name is Jesus Christ.  In the process of time God sent His Son into the world to redeem mankind from the power of sin and separation from God but we still feel the effects of sin in this world.  God loved us so much that He knew the only way to restore full fellowship with Him was to allow His Son to be born into a sinful world, experiencing the effects of sin and around age 33 to die for the sins of the world. 

Rape has taken place in the Bible as well.  It’s found all throughout the Bible. It’s common in our life and in our past. In Robin A. Parry’s commentary on the book of Lamentations he says: “In the ancient world rape was often used as a deliberate strategy of humiliation to signal to opponents that they could not protect their own women. Even after the siege and the fall of Jerusalem, the situation remains one of ongoing violence in which the women of Judah (both married and unmarried women) are raped in Zion and in the other cities. There is nowhere safe. Judah’s enemies want to make clear who is in control. The Hebrew word here means “raped” (Gen 34:2; 2 Sam 13:14) often means “to humiliate” or “to afflict.” The humiliation of women who are raped and also of the men who cannot protect them is the focus.”[11]

IN CONCLUSION AND TO THOSE WHO HAVE ENDURED RAPE

You are not alone. I would like to remind you that God still has a purpose and a plan for your life.  God’s purpose won’t be destroyed by an event that tried to destroy you. Satan the enemy of mankind was the initial instigator of the event that took place in your life. As you develop as a Christian and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior God will begin the healing process and that healing process may be tough, but it’s for your good.  God has a plan for your life, it’s important to know that and it’s just as important to know that The Holy Spirit is at work in your life.  The event may have happened but the fact that you are alive is proof there is hope, there is a reason and there is a purpose; Gods purpose.  The LORD loves you with an unconditional love, no matter what you have done His love for you won’t change and it cannot be stopped by sin.  The event that may have taken place may make you feel the effects of the things listed above, but in time those effects may go away, but until then, begin to learn about Jesus through the Bible, accepting Him and His work in your life because you are loved, you are somebody, you are loved, you are accepted, you are approved, you are His child. Don’t let an event stop you from changing the world because in time you will as you develop in your walk with Jesus Christ.  God will open doors for you to speak on this topic perhaps one on one or perhaps even bigger and broader doors will open where you will speak with audience after audience of people who have dealt with this issue.  Many times people develop “walls” and build “barriers” in order to protect themselves, but when healing begins you see the need for the walls to come down.  Ryan Rush describes the struggle of the walls coming down by saying: “You begin to doubt that the wall can ever come down. Anytime you stop expecting something beyond your current situation, you begin to settle for far less than what could be.”[12] However, with God it is possible. The real truth of God that you need to keep in mind through it all is this: “all things work together for good to them that love God to the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) I love you and He does too.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dhaliwal Gurmeet, Gauzas Larry, Antonowicz Daniel, Ross, Robert. Adult Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Prevalence, Sexual Abuse Characteristics, and Long-Term Effect. Pergamon. Clinical Psychology Review, Volume 16, Issue 7. 1996.

Leeners, B., Stiller, R., Block, E., Görres, G., & al, e. (2007). Effect of childhood sexual abuse on gynecologic care as an adult. Psychosomatics, 48(5), 385-93. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220329231?accountid=12085

Arata, C. M. (2002), Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Revictimization. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9: 135–164. doi: 10.1093/clipsy.9.2.135

Charles Felzen Johnson, Child sexual abuse, The Lancet, Volume 364, Issue 9432, 
31 July–6 August 2004, Pages 462-470, 
ISSN 0140-6736, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16771-8.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673604167718)

Yuan, Nicole P., and Mary P. Koss. "Rape." Encyclopedia of Gender and Society. Ed. Jodi O'Brien. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2009. 701-705. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3073900362&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=07948567a44c3f12ec87885ec98c0704

"Rape." Philip's Encyclopedia. London: Philip's, 2008. Credo Reference. Web. 24 February 2014.

Daigle, Leah E., and Bonnie S. Fisher. "Rape." Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention. Ed. Bonnie S. Fisher and Steven P. Lab. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2010. 708-715. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.

Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX1959800253&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=dca2386552883bdf4cda4efe6dd2783d

Charles Felzen Johnson, Child sexual abuse, The Lancet, Volume 364, Issue 9432, 31 July–6 August 2004, Pages 462-470, 

ISSN 0140-6736, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16771-8.

(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673604167718)

"Rape." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Ed. Bonnie Strickland. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 536-537. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 24 Feb. 2014..

Document URL
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3406000536&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=f0582c7b9ce871b1910542967dfe8adb

Parry, Robin. Lamentations. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, U.K. 2010. Print

Rush, Ryan. Walls. Why Everybody’s Stuck (and nobody has to be). Tyndale House Publishers. Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois. 2011. Print.

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[1] "Rape." Philip's Encyclopedia. London: Philip's, 2008. Credo Reference.

[2] Yuan, Nicole P., and Mary P. Koss. "Rape." Encyclopedia of Gender and Society. Ed. Jodi O'Brien. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2009. 701-705. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

[3] Charles Felzen Johnson, Child sexual abuse, The Lancet, Volume 364, Issue 9432, 31 July–6 August 2004, Pages 462-470, ISSN 0140-6736

[4] Daigle, Leah E., and Bonnie S. Fisher. "Rape." Encyclopedia of Victimology and Crime Prevention. Ed. Bonnie S. Fisher and Steven P. Lab. Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Reference, 2010. 708-715. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

[5] Adult Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse: Prevalence, Sexual Abuse Characteristics, and Long-Term Effects. Pergamon. Clinical Psychology Review, Volume 16, Issue 7. 1996.

[6] Leeners, B., Stiller, R., Block, E., Görres, G., & al, e. (2007). Effect of childhood sexual abuse on gynecologic care as an adult. Psychosomatics, 48(5), 385-93.

[7] Charles Felzen Johnson, Child sexual abuse, The Lancet, Volume 364, Issue 9432, 31 July–6 August 2004, Pages 462-470, ISSN 0140-6736

[8] "Rape." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Ed. Bonnie Strickland. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 536-537. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

[9] Arata, C. M. (2002), Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Revictimization. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 9: 135–164. doi: 10.1093/clipsy.9.2.135

[10] "Rape." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Ed. Bonnie Strickland. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 536-537. Gale Virtual Reference Library.

[11] Parry, Robin. Lamentations. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, U.K. 2010. Print.

[12] Rush, Ryan. Walls. Why Everybody’s Stuck (and nobody has to be). Tyndale House Publishers. Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois. 2011. Print.