The impact of child sexual abuse on victims' adjustment

Abstract

Two hundred and forty sexual abuse victims under 18 years of age were compared to 57 nonabused children on indices reflecting school, social, and behavioral adjustment, sexual conduct, and family dynamics. The average victim age was 8.47 years; most were female (91%). The majority of perpetrators were family members (65%). Only 8.7 percent of child sexual abusers were total strangers. A 35% rise in behavioral symptomatology was noted for the sexually abused children following the onset of their abuse. Forty-nine percent of the abused children showed no evident sign of emotional or mental trauma on pediatric examination. However, the longer the duration of abuse, the greater the likelihood of negative effects in the form of emotional and behavioral trauma and school problems in the child victims. When the children were forced into adult, and perhaps intimate pseudo-romantic behavior, e.g., passionate kissing and vulvar or vaginal intercourse, the more likely a manifest problem would appear. Violence, in this study, played a minor role in predicting behavior problems. Implications for prevention of child abuse are discussed.