Effects of child sexual abuse
From the Independent Enquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Child sexual abuse can have wide-ranging and serious consequences. For some victims and survivors these effects endure throughout adult life. Child sexual abuse can affect psychological and physical well-being, family and intimate relationships, faith, and education and career. Victims and survivors can also be two to four times more likely to become victims of sexual, physical or emotional abuse again in their lifetime.
Effect on interpersonal relationships
One of the most profound effects of child sexual abuse is the damaging impact it can have on the ability to form and maintain close, loving relationships ‒ both intimate and platonic. It can affect the relationships that victims and survivors have at the time of the sexual abuse and for the rest of their lives. They may find it difficult to talk to partners, family and friends about the sexual abuse, preventing others from being able to help and offer support. 42% of victims and survivors who participated in the Truth Project have said that child sexual abuse has adversely affected the relationships they have with others.
Intimate relationships
Child sexual abuse can cause difficulties in forming intimate and trusting relationships. Relationships can remind victims and survivors of the sexual abuse, and there may be emotional barriers that make it difficult to talk about sexual abuse with partners.
Around a third (28%) of victims and survivors have told the Truth Project that they have had difficulties with trust and intimacy. Responses to the Inquiry’s online consultation and discussion at the Forum focus groups also echoed this.
Relationships with parents and siblings
The Inquiry has heard that some victims and survivors feel that the child sexual abuse they suffered has damaged their relationships with their parents or siblings. This may be because the perpetrator was a family member or a close friend of the family, or they may have disclosed the abuse they suffered to a family member or sibling and felt that they were not believed.
The Inquiry has heard that this can make victims and survivors feel responsible for changes to family dynamics and the well-being of family members. It can also disrupt friendship groups and lead to bullying or being talked about by peers, causing loneliness and isolation.
Some victims and survivors have seen their family relationships suffer because their parents, siblings or other relatives knew sexual abuse was taking place but failed to intervene.
Child sexual abuse can also affect the parents of victims and survivors. The mental health of parents can be affected because they feel responsible for having been powerless and unable to protect their child.
Relationships with children and grandchildren
Perhaps one of the saddest consequences of child sexual abuse is the damaging effect it can have on parenthood. Some victims and survivors fear that the sexual abuse they suffered as a child will mean that they will not be safe parents ‒ or that others will consider them to be a danger to their own children. Some victims and survivors have talked about not being able to change nappies or even hug their own children.
Child sexual abuse can also lead some victims and survivors to be especially protective of their own children and grandchildren. They are determined to make sure that their children and grandchildren feel loved and cared for, and that their own abuse will not have a negative effect on them.
Effect on emotional well-being and mental health
Victims and survivors of child sexual abuse cope and respond to abuse in different ways, and their response can change over time. For some, the psychological harm can be at least as severe ‒ and at times more enduring ‒ than the physical injuries sustained during the sexual abuse.
Around the time of sexual abuse, children can experience a range of emotions, including fear, sadness, anger, guilt, self-blame and confusion. Victims and survivors can feel humiliated or self-conscious, and will often not feel equipped or able to talk about what has happened.
The Inquiry has been told that child sexual abuse can have a profound psychological effect that lasts into and throughout adult life. Existing research has linked child sexual abuse with low self-esteem and mental health conditions.
The most common issues reported were depression (33%), lack of trust in authority (32%), thoughts of suicide (28%), anxiety (28%), self-harming (22%) and attempted suicide (22%). Participants in the online consultation said that they were most likely to experience anxiety and fear, depression, self-harm and thoughts of suicide. Panic attacks, low self-confidence, obsessions, eating disorders, and alcohol and drug use were also reported by Forum members.
However, the Inquiry has also been struck by how victims and survivors have been proud of their resilience and powers of recovery. Many go on to lead successful lives ‒ but have said that they never fully leave the abuse they experienced behind and will go through tough periods in their lives as a result. These periods of negative emotions can be triggered by known dates or events, or be quite random and entirely unpredictable. Research shows that particular aspects of life ‒ most notably childbirth and sexual activity ‒ are frequent triggers.
Many victims and survivors seek therapy or counselling, but have reported severe difficulties in accessing services and treatment. Where support and treatment have been accessed, accounts from victims and survivors are mixed. It is clear that the right support or treatment at the right time is hugely beneficial to victims and survivors, but some have reported receiving unhelpful or inappropriate responses from professionals.
Supportive and positive responses from families, friends, caregivers and professionals have been found to help recovery. Participants in the online consultation indicated the importance of being believed and respected when accessing support. However, when a victim and survivor discloses the child sexual abuse they suffered and receives a lack of support, this can increase feelings of guilt and shame and deter them from seeking support in the future.
There are also concerns that many services are being withdrawn and the cost of treatment is often high, which can be a very real barrier for those without a job or on low incomes. The availability of support and treatment is a significant issue.
Effect on physical health
Research shows that victims and survivors of child sexual abuse may have poorer physical health than those who have not been abused.
Children can sustain physical injuries during sexual abuse. Victims and survivors who engaged with the Truth Project reported that they experienced a physical injury (12%) such as internal damage as a result of the sexual abuse. Children can also contract sexually transmitted diseases as a result of the abuse.
There are also long-term effects of child sexual abuse that include a range of illnesses and disabilities. Hypertension, chronic fatigue, malnutrition, mobility, and problems with reproductive systems and childbirth are all linked to child sexual abuse.
Ten percent of female victims and survivors told the Truth Project that they became pregnant as a result of the sexual abuse.
Effect on religion and faith
When considering the effect child sexual abuse has on a victim and survivor’s religion or spiritual beliefs, two particular themes have been highlighted. Victims and survivors may question their religion and spiritual beliefs, particularly where the perpetrator was connected to their religion or faith. They may also use religion and faith as a coping mechanism for resilience and recovery.
Research suggests that it can be common for victims and survivors to feel disillusioned with religion and spiritual beliefs after they have been sexually abused. They can feel abandoned or punished by a god and begin to question their understanding of the world. Studies show that this is particularly likely when the perpetrator is someone who represents God in the eyes of the victim, or has used religion or spiritual beliefs to justify the sexual abuse.
The Inquiry has heard that some victims and survivors continue to practise their religion or spiritual beliefs to ensure that their children grow up having faith. Others try to use their religion or spiritual beliefs as a way of dealing with the sexual abuse they suffered as a child but can find it challenging and be left feeling disillusioned.
Effect on education and later life
The Inquiry has heard that victims and survivors respond to child sexual abuse in different ways. Some victims and survivors have explained that their education provided a coping strategy for dealing with – or escaping from – the sexual abuse. However, for others, their attainment at school, college and university suffers and their employment prospects are affected.
Some victims and survivors have told the Truth Project that they have struggled and disengaged at school and that they feel as though their futures were stolen. Some were unhappy at school (16%) or had academic difficulties (16%) and others left school early (8%).
Responses to the Inquiry’s online consultation also indicated that victims and survivors have been affected by low educational attainment, unemployment and financial difficulties as a result of sexual abuse.
Research has associated child sexual abuse with increased unemployment, increased receipt of state benefits, reduced income and greater financial instability. Research and victim and survivor accounts suggest that poor physical or mental health may be the reason for this since it can affect education and attaining qualifications, difficulties coping with the normal daily routine of life, getting involved in criminal behaviour, or not having somewhere safe and stable to live.
