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The Impact of Sexual Abuse

Impact of Child Sexual Abuse It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today.
Source: Forward, 1993. Web site: Presented by Pandora's Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse ~~ Dr. Faulkner -- Sexual Abuse Statistics

Approximately 31% of women in prison state that they had been abused as children.
Source: United States Department of Justice, 1991. Web site: Presented by Pandora's Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse ~~ Dr. Faulkner -- Sexual Abuse Statistics

Approximately 95% of teenage prostitutes have been sexually abused.
Source: CCPCA, 1992. Web site: Presented by Pandora's Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse ~~ Dr. Faulkner -- Sexual Abuse Statistics

Long term effects of child abuse include fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor self esteem, tendency toward substance abuse and difficulty with close relationships.
Source: Browne & Finkelhor, 1986. Web site: Presented by Pandora's Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse ~~ Dr. Faulkner -- Sexual Abuse Statistics

Clinical findings of adult victims of sexual abuse include problems in interpersonal relationships associated with an underlying mistrust. Generally, adult victims of incest have a severely strained relationship with their parents that is marked by feelings of mistrust, fear, ambivalence, hatred, and betrayal. These feelings may extend to all family members.
Source: Tsai and Wagner, 1978. Web site: Presented by Pandora's Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse ~~ Dr. Faulkner -- Sexual Abuse Statistics

There is the clinical assumption that children who feel compelled to keep sexual abuse a secret suffer greater psychic distress than victims who disclose the secret and receive assistance and support.
Source: Finkelhor & Browne, 1986. Web site: Presented by Pandora's Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse ~~ Dr. Faulkner -- Sexual Abuse Statistics

Early identification of sexual abuse victims appears to be crucial to the reduction of suffering of abused youth and to the establishment of support systems for assistance in pursuing appropriate psychological development and healthier adult functioning . As long as disclosure continues to be a problem for young victims, then fear, suffering, and psychological distress will, like the secret, remain with the victim.
Sources: Bagley, 1992; Bagley, 1991; Finkelhor et al. 1990; Whitlock & Gillman, 1989. Web site: Presented by Pandora's Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse ~~ Dr. Faulkner -- Sexual Abuse Statistics

Sexual victimization may profoundly interfere with and alter the development of attitudes toward self, sexuality, and trusting relationships during the critical early years of development.
Source: Tsai & Wagner, 1984. Web site: Presented by Pandora's Box: The Secrecy of Child Sexual Abuse ~~ Dr. Faulkner -- Sexual Abuse Statistics

Composition of substantiated child abuse | Disclosures of abuse | Sexual Abuse figures | Impact of Sexual Abuse | Statistics about offenders | Possible long term effects | Survey shows increase in abuse