What are the short- and long-term consequences of sexual abuse?
A | Sexual abuse can undermine a person’s physical or psychological integrity. Victims may experience a multitude of emotions, pain and illnesses: feelings of fear, betrayal, guilt, ambivalence; anxiety and depression; low self-esteem and anger; insomnia and sleep disturbances (nightmares); delayed development (physical, psychological); attention difficulties, scholastic problems, inadequate sexual behaviour, according to age or developmental level; behavioural problems, delinquency, running away, prostitution, drug addiction, self-destructive behaviour (mutilation); eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia); somatization disorder, chronic pain, sexually transmitted diseases (STD, AIDS, etc.); removal from family environment, placement and loss of maternal support, etc. Among male victims mainly, having been sexually abused in childhood may increase the danger of developing behaviour that may lead to committing sexual abuse as adolescents or adults. It should be recognized, however, that th
A | Sexual abuse can undermine a person’s physical or psychological integrity. Victims may experience a multitude of emotions, pain and illnesses: feelings of fear, betrayal, guilt, ambivalence; anxiety and depression; low self-esteem and anger; insomnia and sleep disturbances (nightmares); delayed development (physical, psychological); attention difficulties, scholastic problems, inadequate sexual behaviour, according to age or developmental level; behavioural problems, delinquency, running away, prostitution, drug addiction, self-destructive behaviour (mutilation); eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia); somatization disorder, chronic pain, sexually transmitted diseases (STD, AIDS, etc.); removal from family environment, placement and loss of maternal support, etc.Among male victims mainly, having been sexually abused in childhood may increase the danger of developing behaviour that may lead to committing sexual abuse as adolescents or adults.
