How Do Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Cope?
Impact of Sexual Abuse on Grown Children The impact of childhood sexual abuse on adult survivors cannot be overstated. The aftereffects of childhood sexual abuse permeate every area of a person’s life. At the core of the grown child’s issues are struggles with loving and accepting himself as well as an inability to trust others. Because of this, the aftermath of the sexual abuse taints every single relationship in the abuse survivor’s life. The sexual abuse survivor winds up making many choices based upon his reaction to his past abuse rather than based upon his present circumanstances. Issues With Sex Most adults of childhood sexual abuse struggle with issues surrounding sex. Reactions tend to go to one of two extremes. Some sexual abuse survivors have difficulty maintaining consensual sexual relationships because sex triggers painful memories of the childhood sexual abuse. Other adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse become sexually aggressive, trying to take back the power that w
