Sexual Abuse in Adolescents
Introduction
According to the American medical association, child sexual abuse refers to the subjection of a child-not developmentally prepared and lacks the capacity to give an informed consent to sexual activities (Howard, 2007). Ritual andor cult abuse could also amount to sexual abuse due to certain rites or belief systems practiced. Sexual abuse encompasses force deception and coercion and ranges from exposure of ones genitals fondling intimate kissing penile penetration of the vagina anus or mouth forced prostitution pornography to incest. Statistical reports indicate that 50 percent of all reported sexual abuse cases involve adolescents and children as victims. Recent statistical reports by the U.S Department of Justice indicate that about half of all women whose rape cases were recorded in 1992, were below 18 years of age and that 16 percent were below 12 years of age. The reports also confirm that a third of all children experience sexual abuse while below 18 years (Faulkner, 2006). It is said that most sexual offenders are people known and trusted by the victims and that boys are most likely to be abused by non-family members more than girls. For instance, a survey conducted in tree states found out that 96 percent of adolescent rape victims below 18 years knew their offenders while among those above 18 years, 12 percent of the offenders were family members and 55 were acquaintances. In year 1991 in the U.S, 340,000 child sexual and physical abuse cases were reported. According to Flinn (1995), vulnerability is high among children between the age of eight and twelve. Faulkner, (2006), notes that 24 of female sexual abuses are reported by five year olds. The reports further indicate that sexual assault consists of about two thirds of reported child abduction cases. However, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services reports that sexual abuse cases are underreported either due to threats by perpetrators or that some victims are reluctant or embarrassed to talk about their experience (Administration for Children and Families, 1998). This could also be due to the fact that children may not categorize such ordeals as sexual victimization.
Behavioral Manifestation of an Abused Child
Sexual abuse impacts adversely on the victims. However, these behavioral manifestations are varied depending on various factors such as the age of the victim and the association with the perpetrator (Dube et al, 2005). This leads to differences in the extent of psychiatric trauma suffered by victims. Statistical reports indicate that sexually abused adolescent girls are three times more prone to alcoholism, drug abuse and psychiatric disorders than their peers who are not. Sexual abuse in children impacts negatively on their long-term social and psychological well-being. Children who have experienced sexual abuse in their early years show a high tendency to engage in sexual behavior at an early age. Sources note that close to 95 percent of teenage prostitutes were sexually abused in their early years (Hopper, 2010). The reports further note that 31 percent of most women in U.S prisons confessed of having been sexually abused in their childhood. In cases where victims are threatened by perpetrators, they end up showing more physic distress. Sexually abused children exhibit depression characteristics ranging from substance abuse, sleeping or eating disorders to self-mutilation. Sexually abused children may also exhibit numbing behaviors or anxiety (The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 1998). Such children become hyper vigilant and highly anxious especially in occasions that threat their safety. Children who have experienced sexual abuse throughout most of their life exhibit strong defensive postures and lack of trust with adults or their peers.
Sexual abuse makes some children become hypersensitive as regards to their surroundings. Such children are easily over stimulated or hyper aroused by events in their surrounding. This has also been identified to cause somatic concerns such as stomachaches and headaches. In most occasions, victims grow up conditioned to believe that any interaction between two people takes the form of a victim and a victimizer (Segal et al, 2009). Therefore such children may become victims or victimizers later in life and hence some children may end up becoming very aggressive. Other manifestations include hostility disorders in eating sexual dysfunction, suicidal behavior, multiple person disorders or dissociation.
Treatment of Sexually Abused Children
Treatment of sexually abused children calls for high expertise and special skills. It is important that such children be helped by therapeutic professionals who rather than relying on talk therapy, use play or art therapy to enhance an all round recovery of the victims. The best treatment usually involves a combination of individual and group therapies. This is normally done in three stages. According to Faller, (1993), these stages include enhancement of the abused childs security both at the therapists place and at home the processing of traumatic experience and the facilitation for social reconnection. Therapists note that the core task throughout this treatment process involves promoting the childs security within the environment of a caring and supportive adult (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2008). This is because abused children encounter incredible mobility in the course of their lives. That is, when moving from one placement another. Since the victims are usually not sure for how long or how safe they are or will be in the hands of the adult, providing a sense of safety and security thus remains to be of paramount importance to the treatment of sexually abused children.
The next and very important therapeutic step involves the establishment of a relationship with the child. Through this, the therapists help the victims to understand the importance of processing the experience (Administration for Children and Families, 1998). Therapists use the newly established relationship with the victims as a platform to educate them on how the experience they have had can help them to end any resulting behaviors or negative experiences. This process helps the victims to develop the ability to control their behavior. When this works out, the therapists assist the victims to affiliate with other people in the society and also to trust and develop relationships with other people as well. At this point the therapist introduces the victim to group therapy (Hopper, 2010). Of key importance during the three therapeutic stages is the consistency and time of care especially in the first stage.
Outcomes of the Treatment
Treatment of sexually abused children facilitates identity formation throughout the growth process. For identity formation to take place effectively, it is paramount that children feel significant, have a sense of virtue, personal control and power and are shown love. Following sexual abuse, these aspects are compromised by the negative impacts that develop consequently (Dube et al, 2005). Treatment helps to rectify this situation and enhance the continued growth of a child as regards to these aspects. Treatment helps victims to overcome dissociation and develop the capacity to process their experiences. This helps the victims of sexual abuse to socially reconnect with the community, promote both their sense of self identity and that of being anchored in real life.
Conclusion
In the last few years, there have been impressive developments with regard to issues in the field of sexual abuse in children. Areas such as investigation, identification, treatment and intervention into child sexual abuse matters have received intensified attention lately. This is because of collaborations at the multiagency and multidisciplinary levels which have made it possible for professionals and clinicians to handle sexual abuse issues competently (Howard, 2007). However, much is yet to be done in terms of identification and treatment due to the fact that only a few abuse cases are usually reported and that currently there is a shortage of clinicians trained to handle such issues. Treatment is based on a wider context of intervention. However, few treatment outcomes do exist making treatment of sexually abused children a challenge (Segal et al, 2009). Experts note that sexual abuse is more prevalent in ongoing long-term relationships between the victim and the offenders and that it escalates with time. The fact that very few cases end up being reported makes it difficult to make accurate estimates of the prevalence of sexual abuse. This makes it equally hard for the responsible authorities to handle the crime. The definition of both maturity age and abuse also makes the task of tackling sexual abuse cases difficult. It is undeniable that sexually abused children suffer greatly in terms of their physical, sexual spiritual and emotional development. Experts suggest that establishing a development approach for the child victims will go along way in ensuring that opportunities and services essential for strengthening the young people and providing appropriate support for all the children who are victims of sexual abuse (Hopper, 2010). It is therefore of utmost importance to treat child sexual abuse victims so as to protect the future generations.
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