Describe some of the consequences of child sexual abuse from early childhood to adulthood

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: The adjustment problems of child sex abuse victims—including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, mistrust of adults, and anger and hostility—are often severe and can persist for years after the abusive episodes. Younger children frequently react with sleep difficulties, loss of appetite, and generalized fearfulness. Adolescents may run away and show suicidal reactions, substance abuse, and delinquency. Longitudinal research suggests that rates of obesity and other physical and mental health problems are elevated among survivors of child sexual abuse. At all ages, persistent abuse accompanied by force, violence, and a close relationship to the perpetrator (incest) has a more severe impact. And sexual abuse, like physical abuse, is associated with central nervous system damage.
Sexually abused children frequently display precocious sexual knowledge and behavior. In adolescence, abused young people often become promiscuous, increasing the risk of teenage pregnancy. As adults, they show increased arrest rates for sex crimes and prostitution. Furthermore, women who were sexually abused are likely to choose partners who abuse them and their children. As mothers, they often engage in irresponsible and coercive parenting, including child abuse and neglect. In these ways, the harmful impact of sexual abuse is transmitted to the next generation.