The Developmental Cascade Model : Create Criminal Justice Programming Essay

The long term psychological effects associated with sexual assault includes, depression, substance use, anxiety, PTSD, and decreased self esteem (Foa & Riggs, 1993; Resick, 1993). The authors of this article supports current literature which proposes that African American children receives inadequate or inappropriate sexuality socialization and sexual abuse prevention in their cultures and families which may affect their disclosure of sexual assault in adulthood (Washington, 2001;Wyatt, 1992).

Victims of sexual assault suffer from a wide variety of mental and emotional issues throughout their lives as a result of the experience. Results can range from depression, anger, feelings of loneliness, and difficulty when trying to formulate relationships of trust (Hyde 45). Victims experience a wide variety of psychological issues as a result of sexual crimes, which they will have to carry with them throughout their entire lives. Also, “Psychological problems can start later in life with changes in behavior- vague fears, feeling unprotected and helpless, nightmares, bedwetting, sleeping problems, fear to loss parents approval/love, need to please others, poor self esteem, anger, depression, withdrawal from activities, daydreaming, difficulty concentrating, behavior problems” (Hyde 47).

Being sexually abused is a very traumatizing experience, and this form of victimization at a young age only amplifies the situation. The mortifying nature of child sexual abuse often brings along with it changes in the victim's life. Some of the numerous short term effects (problems that impact them while they are still at a young

This paper will examine the impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on women’s sexual behavior in adulthood. Childhood sexual abuse has been associated with a plethora of physical and emotional symptoms in women. It has been noted that there is a significant relationship between this maltreatment and the development of abnormal sexual behavior. Some women who have been abused as children are suffering from lack of sexual desire, emotional distress, sexual dysfunction, or engage in risky sexual behavior as they become adults. This paper has two purposes: (1) to provide a broad overview of the research on long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse on mental and physical health and (2) encourage counselors and therapists alike to seek knowledge of this issue and in turn provide victims of CSA with effective methods to overcome and deal with any long-term issues of childhood sexual abuse.

with Research conducted on the characteristics of female sexual abusers uses three specific case examples of young girls, ages: ten, twelve, and sixteen. In two of three case examples, the girls had reported being sexually abused at a young age. The third girl, age sixteen, did not explicitly state she had been sexually abused, but has close ties with her father who is a known sex-offender,; therefore it is believed that she has been sexually abused during childhood. A review of adolescent offenders of sexual abuse, under the age of 21, shows: “Chi-square analyses showed significant associations between those who targeted children and being sexually abused or having a family member subject to sexual abuse” The study also reports that those that have experienced sexual assault at a young age, and have been reported to sexually assault other children typically have poor relationships with peers and family members in addition to experiencing two or more instances of

“Women with a childhood abuse history are around 1.4 to 3.7 times more likely to be sexually assaulted in adulthood, and a majority (around 59%) of women with either childhood sexual assaults (CSA) or adult assaults have experienced both” (Cloitre & Rosenberg, 2006). Revictimization for prior victims is an important topic in our society. Knowing and understanding the cycle of abuse can help prevent future victimization for such a vulnerable population. “This interest is grounded in evidence that persons who experience one victimization (an assault, a burglary, sexual abuse, etc.) are at greater risk for subsequent victimizations and the obvious merit of interrupting this pattern” (Weisel, 2005). Victimization during childhood creates a

Annotated Bibliography: In this article, the author is making an argument that sexual abuse causes brain development problems in the long run. These children gain “a less flexible state of equilibrium” (Gaskill 37). They then become poor socialized and have problems in regards to emotional and physical health. In order to these children, they need to be helped immediately,

Studies have shown that within the community victims of assault frequently feel susceptible and defenseless in the local community and the general population as a repercussion of the fear of a repeated assault (Stanko, E., 1990). Work life is also greatly affected. As a result of the sexual trauma, many victims have feelings of low self-respect and devaluation, causing the individual to avoid any social situations including work (Morrison, Quadara, & Boyd,

Childhood sexual abuse is a traumatic experience, and changing the child forever. according to statistics 7 % to 36 % of women and 3% to 29% of men report childhood sexual abuse (CSA) (Springer, Sheridan, Kuo, Carnes, 2003). The amount abused is staggering beyond the immediate effects of CSA there are numerous long-term health issues that stem form CSA, yet there is hope for recovery from CSA for victims.

Given that this study is looking at multiple variables, it can be helpful to quantify other important characteristics that the participants have. For example, out of the 530 individuals for this study, 84.2 % did not have an offense that was sexual in nature during their juvenile years (n = 446). However, 13.7% had a history of anywhere from 1-6 sexual offenses while they were a juvenile (n = 72). This information was not gathered on 12 individuals (See appendix 2a). Another important variable of this study was identifying how many individuals were victims themselves of sexual assault at any point in their lives. This information was not gathered on 217 individuals. However, of the remaining 313 who were assessed, only 15.7% (n = 83) reported a history of being sexually assaulted at some point in their life (See appendix 2b). To break this down even further, the participants were asked about being sexually abused but only if it happened during their childhood. Out of the 412 participants that were asked about this specific criteria, 8.9% (n = 47) affirmed that they had been a victim of sexual abuse in their childhood, while 61.5% (n = 326) denied this. There were 39 individuals who were assessed but were labeled as experiencing partial abuse. The definition of partial abuse was not clearly stated or explained. These 39 individuals were still included in the study despite only partial evidence (See appendix 2c).

The presenting problem of childhood sexual abuse is a multidimensional trauma. Occurring at such a young age, CSA can have physically, sexually, psychologically, and emotionally detrimental outcomes (Calvert, Kellett, & Hagan, 2015). Depression, maladaptive social behaviors, PTSD, and self-blame have all been reported as psychological reactions to CSA (Gold, 1986; Alexander et al., 1989; Willows, 2009). The very definition of childhood sexual abuse is constantly up for debate, but the Center of Disease Control (CDC) describes CSA as “any completed or attempted (noncompleted) sexual act, sexual contact with, or exploitation (i.e., noncontact sexual interaction) of a child

The results show a correlation between the victim age and gender as significant meaning that male victims were the more likely to be chosen and when choosing female victims, they were either children, peers or adults (Worling, 1995). The sample was then divided into four groups: 27 offenders against female adolescent and adults, 29 offenders against female children; 10 of these offenders also chose female adolescent and adult victims, 12 offenders against only male children, and 19 offenders against both female and male children (Worling, 1995). Thirty seven out of 87 participants reported sexual abuse history (Worling, 1995). The results also showed statistical significance in that 75 % of adolescent sex offenders that sexually abuse male children showed a sexual abuse history as opposed to 25 % of those who sexually abused female children, peers or adults (Worling, 1995). The study also implicates that it is possible psychological trauma associated with prior sexual abuse along with learned behavior from social interaction can lead to future

Abuse during childhood can be a very traumatic experience that can have many unfortunate consequences on a child’s development and successful long-term functioning. The initial effects of abuse commonly reported by children include feelings of fear, shame, anger, rejection, hopelessness, and a perceived sense of worthlessness. However, many of these initial effects only increase over time and continue plaguing victims into adulthood. Adults experiencing long term effects of childhood sexual abuse report high frequencies of anxiety attacks, suicidal ideation, nightmares, depression, and an acute fear of trusting others. Fear of being re-victimized keeps them from functioning normally in society and forming meaningful, healthy relationships.

The pains and the pleasures experienced at the past as a result of sexual abuse are usually tagged along in the present adult relationships. Psychologists have reported that the pain from mental and sexual torture or abuse experienced during childhood are usually almost impossible to erase them beyond adolescents and in adult relationships (Mullen, 1993). Researchers also argue out that the survivors who experienced sexual abuse during their childhood years are relatively more susceptible or more prone to being assaulted or revictimized again during their adolescent years and in their adult relationships. Females have been indicated to be more prone to sexually abuse as compared to males (Putnam, 2003). Childhood sexual abuse is likely to shape an individual’s personality and thereby affect interactions with others and her environment.

Childhood sexual abuse is a global issue that has multiple outcomes of dysfunction that an adult may display due to previous experience. There is evidence supporting the magnitude of problems that a CSA surviving adult may go through especially if critical periods of development have been altered because of trauma. The negative effects are psychologically, physically, behaviorally and interpersonally harmful to the victim’s overall health. With continued research and bringing an awareness to the problem that child sexual abuse is more common than we think and its implications that there are increased relationship hardships such as chronic dissatisfaction, abandonment issues, intimacy avoidance and couples distress. Highlighting how this