Child Sexual Abuse – Resources & Links
Symptoms of childhood sexual abuse:
-
Withdrawal and mistrust of adults
-
Suicidal thinking or behaviors
-
Unusual sexual knowledge or behavior, such as seductiveness
-
Unusual interest in or avoidance of all things sexual or physical
-
Sleep problems, nightmares, fears of going to bed
-
Frequent accidents or self-injurious behaviors
-
Unusual aggressiveness
-
Depression or withdrawal from friends or family
-
Refusal to go to school, or to the doctor, or home
-
Statements that their bodies are dirty or damaged, or fear that there is something wrong with them in the genital area
-
Secretiveness or unusual aggressiveness
-
Delinquency and conduct problems
-
Aspects of sexual molestation in drawings, games, fantasies
-
Neurotic reactions (obsessions, compulsiveness, phobias)
-
Habit disorders (biting, rocking)
-
Prostitution
-
Forcing sexual acts on other children
-
Extreme fear of being touched
-
Unwillingness to submit to physical examination
-
Not wanting to be left alone with a particular individual(s)
AAETS - American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress
AACAP - American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Why don’t children tell about sexual abuse?
There are many reasons children do not disclose being sexually abused, including:
-
Threats of bodily harm (to the child and/or the child’s family)
-
Fear of not being believed
-
Shame or guilt
-
Fear of being removed from the home
NCTSN Child Sexual Abuse Committee.
What is Child Sexual Abuse?
1Administration for Children and Families – Child Welfare Information Gateway, Definitions, Scope and Effects of Child Abuse:
2United States Department of Veteran Affairs, Child Sexual Abuse:
Warning Signs of Child Sexual Abuse
1MedlinePlus, Child Abuse – Sexual:
2Canadian Center for Child Protection, Child Sexual Abuse – It Is Your Business:
How to Report Child Sexual Abuse
1Canadian Center for Child Protection, Child Sexual Abuse – It Is Your Business:
Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse. Sexual Abuse Recovery
1Jim Hopper Ph. D., Child Abuse – Statistics, Research, and Resources:
Victims of Sexual Abuse: Do They Ever Get Over It?
1Administration for Children and Families – Child Welfare Information Gateway, Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse:
2Safe Horizon, After Sexual Assault:
Sexual Abuse Help: Where to Find It
1Health Canada, Child Sexual Abuse:
Effects of Child Sexual Abuse on Children
1Canadian Center for Child Protection, Child Sexual Abuse – It Is Your Business:
I Was Molested As a Child – Child Actors, Celebrities Speak Out
1DailyTop10, Top 10 Celebrities Who Suffered Child Abuse:
2Hollywood Life, Ashley Judd: I Was Sexually Abused Repeatedly As a Child and Almost Killed Myself:
3MSNBC Today, 'Housewives' star Hatcher reveals sex abuse:
4ABC News, Mo'Nique, Gabriel Byrne Shine Light on Sex Abuse:
How to Protect Your Children from Child Predators
1Canadian Center for Child Protection, Child Sexual Abuse – It Is Your Business:
Why Are Children Sexually Abused?
1Administration for Children and Families, Child Information Gateway, Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse:
Sexual Abusers - Who are These Child Abusers?
1Department of Veteran Affairs, National Center for PTSD, Child Sexual Abuse:
2The National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Child Sexual Abuse:
3The National Center for the Victims of Crime, Child Sexual Abuse:
4Medscape Reference, Child Sexual Abuse:
Child Sexual Abuse Statistics
1Canadian Center for Child Protection, Child Sexual Abuse – It's Your Business:
2ChildHelp, Child Sexual Abuse Statistics:
3The National Center for the Victims of Crime, Child Sexual Abuse:
4Administration for Children and Families, Child Welfare Information Gateway, Definitions, Scope and Effects of Child Sexual Abuse:
5The National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Child Sexual Abuse:
6Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD, Child Sexual Abuse:
http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/child-sexual-abuse.asp
https://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/abuse-information/references-for-abuse-articles/
Freyd article: The science of child sexual abuse.
[1] Freyd, J., et al. (2005). The Science of Child Sexual Abuse. Science 308(5721), 501. http://www.stopfamilyviolence.org/info/child-sexual-abuse/the-science-of-child-sexual-abuse/
http://www.oneinfourusa.org/statistics.php
-
Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year, according to the CDC. For every suicide among young people, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. Over 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide, and almost 7 percent have attempted it.
-
Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University
-
A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying
-
10 to 14 year old girls may be at even higher risk for suicide, according to the study above
-
According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying.