Do victims of sexual abuse turn into abusers? There is a widespread belief that people who are sexually abused in their childhood can turn into perpetrators as adults. But does it stand to reason? Tara Kaushal's book is based on her extensive reportage on sexual violence in India. Abhijit Banerjee's cheat sheet for the kitchen. Meet the Tamil Nadu Weatherman. A window into the Chinese diplomatic mindscape. This animal lover in Jammu runs a shelter for injured strays.
Museum pays tribute to the pioneer of Indian prehistory By Avantika Bhuyan. By Sujata Assomull. Next Story. Home fitness giant Peloton releases strength training device. CSA can have devastating consequences for the child. Previous studies have concluded that those who suffer an episode of CSA perform more risky sexual behaviors and are more likely to experience further episodes of sexual victimization during adolescence and early youth.
There are two theoretical contributions that, although they offer partial views, can help to understand the association between CSA, sexual behavior, and revictimization in adulthood: the traumagenic dynamics model and the information-motivation-behavioral skills model. This short review provides an overview of the problems and theoretical explanations that have been presented up to the present, underlining the importance of prevention and sex education as of childhood, as well as the need to continue investigating in order to develop specific theoretical models that help to understand and prevent CSA and its consequences.
The objective of this short review is to offer a brief overview of childhood sexual abuse CSA and its consequences in the field of sexuality, paying special attention to the performance of risky sexual behaviors and sexual revictimization in adolescence and early youth.
In addition, two theoretical explanations that address—albeit partially—the relationship between CSA, risky sexual behavior, and sexual revictimization are highlighted. That is the structure that is followed in the text. Finally, conclusions are drawn, underscoring the need to continue investigating this phenomenon, developing specific theoretical models and designing and implementing prevention programs for CSA.
CSA is considered a serious health and social problem in every country in the world. CSA may occur through physical contact e. Because of the magnitude of these rates, some authors claim that CSA is a public health problem that is far from being solved Gray and Rarick, The places where episodes of abuse occur are often the most frequented by the children, such as their homes, schools, or leisure centers. Unlike other types of abuse, in CSA, the economic level, either of the abuser or of the victim, has no influence Senn et al.
With regard to the victims, Senn et al. However, it is noted that, due to aspects related to masculinity and fear of being labeled and stigmatized, boys often do not admit having been abused, so the proportion of abused boys could be higher Homma et al. For several decades, some, studies have reported that about one-third of male abusers may have been a victim in their childhood Finkelhor, ; Senn et al.
Therefore, although it cannot be stated that there is intergenerational transmission of abuse, because the majority of victims are female and they do not subsequently become abusers, it is relatively common for abusers to have witnessed or suffered abuse during their childhood Clayton et al. Having suffered some episode of CSA has been linked to poorer psychological functioning Senn et al.
Therefore, one of the main areas of study and intervention in the consequences of CSA is that of interpersonal relationships and sexuality. In the victims of CSA, incongruous, and even contradictory behaviors are observed in the area of sexuality: either they avoid relating to others for fear of possible revictimization Homma et al.
CSA has been associated with the performance of risky sexual behaviors in adolescence and youth Senn et al. Adolescence is a critical period, in which sexual activity begins and sexual behavior is subject to a multitude of influences e.
Some characteristic aspects of sexuality during adolescence may include low risk perception Castro and Santos-Iglesias, , alcohol and other drug use, lack of planning of sexual intercourse, the romantic ideals characteristic of this stage Jones and Furman, , scarce eroticization of condom use DiClemente et al.
Vulnerability is even greater if, to these obstacles to engage in protective sexual behavior that exist during adolescence, is added the fact that the adolescent has been a victim of CSA. Some research concludes that people who have suffered an episode of CSA present earlier initiation of consensual sex with penetration Thornton and Veenema, ; Gray and Rarick, , more sexual partners Senn et al.
All these behaviors imply greater vulnerability to sexually transmitted infections STI; Homma et al. Suffering further episodes of sexual victimization during adolescence and early youth is common among victims of CSA. Authors such as Walker et al. Some studies have reported that female victims of CSA are three to five times more likely to suffer further sexual assault than those who have not suffered CSA Pereda et al. Some variables have been proposed in the existing literature to explain the CSA-sexual assaults relationship in adulthood Walker et al.
For example, Santos-Iglesias and Sierra suggest that this relationship is mediated by three variables: sexual experience, sexual assertiveness, and substance use before intercourse. In terms of sexual experience, it has been established that women who suffered CSA have a larger number of partners, which increases the risk of revictimization due to a probabilistic issue: the more partners, the more likely they are to be aggressive Arata, Regarding sexual assertiveness, authors like Livingston et al.
Substance consumption may also mediate this relationship, as these authors have indicated that CSA is a risk factor for increased consumption and this, in turn, is a risk factor for revictimization. The relationship between having suffered an episode of CSA and the subsequent performance of risky sexual behaviors and suffering new cases of victimization is well established in the extant literature.
However, there is little empirical research on how this relationship occurs Senn et al. There are two theoretical contributions that, although understudied so far and providing partial views, may help to understand the relationship between CSA, risky sexual behavior, and revictimization in adulthood.
For its part, the information-motivation-behavioral skills model IMB; Fisher and Fisher, focuses on the performance of risky sexual behaviors. According to this model, CSA can have four negative consequences. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile.
Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. People who were sexually abused in childhood often engage in abusive relationships as adults. They might repeatedly find themselves in adult relationships where they are abused physically, emotionally, or sexually.
If you are a survivor of child abuse or know someone who might be, call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at to speak with a professional crisis counselor. For more mental health resources, see our National Helpline Database. Some even become abusive themselves. If the connection between abuse and "love" is made early in life, the feelings of shame and anger , which naturally happen as a consequence of the abuse, can become mixed up with sexual feelings, leading to confusion in the person who experienced the abuse.
People who have been abused may not realize other, healthier, ways of feeling in relationships are possible. They may believe they are attracted to or feel love for their abuser, sometimes even thinking they have a special connection to the abuser, as it taps into feelings of intimacy associated with the abuse, that were imprinted at a very early age. So when they are later abused in an intimate relationship, they perceive the familiar feelings of shame and anger as love and passion.
A survivor of childhood sexual abuse may try to undo the abuse by taking back power. By engaging in a relationship with another abuser, they can try to relive the relationship with their original abuser in the hope that they can get it right this time.
People who were abused as children may believe, on some deep level, that they are not good enough to deserve a genuinely caring relationship. Many disorders are associated with childhood abuse.
One is depression or heightened risk for developing it. Many scientists believe that depression may be a consequence of reduced activity of the left frontal lobes. If so, the stunted development of the left hemisphere related to abuse could easily enhance the risk of developing depression.
Similarly, excess electrical irritability in the limbic system, and alterations in development of receptors that modulate anxiety, set the stage for the emergence of panic disorder and increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. Alterations in the neurochemistry of these areas of the brain also heighten the hormonal response to stress, producing a state of hyper vigilance and right-hemisphere activation that colors our view with negativity and suspicion. Alterations in the size of the hippocampus, along with limbic abnormalities shown on an EEG, further enhance the risk for developing dissociative symptoms and memory impairments.
Very early childhood abuse appears particularly likely to be associated with emergence of ADHD-like behavior problems. Some studies have also found an association between reduced size of the mid portions of the corpus callosum and emergence of ADHD-like symptoms of impulsivity.
Hence, early abuse may produce brain changes that mimic key aspects of ADHD. With less well integrated hemispheres, borderline patients may shift rapidly from a logical and possibly overvaluing left-hemisphere state to a highly negative, critical, and emotional right hemisphere state.
This seems consistent with the theory that early problems of mother-child interaction undercut the integration of right and left hemispheric function. Very inconsistent behavior of a parent for example, sometimes loving, sometimes abusing might generate an irreconcilable mental image in a young child. Instead of reaching an integrated view, the child would form two diametrically opposite views—storing the positive view in the left hemisphere, the negative view in the right.
These mental images, and their associated positive and negative world views, may remain unintegrated, and the hemispheres remain autonomous, as the child grows up. Couple this with possible alterations in oxytocin- and vasopressin-mediated sexual arousal, and you see why patients with borderline personality disorder have tumultuous relationships. The most immediate conclusion from our work, however, is the crucial need for prevention.
The costs to society are enormous. Furthermore, childhood maltreatment can be an essential ingredient in the makeup of violent individuals, predisposing them to bouts of irritable aggression. In the meantime, early intervention should be our priority. The brain is more plastic and malleable before puberty, increasing our chances of minimizing or reversing consequences of abuse. One consequence of childhood maltreatment is limbic irritability, which tends to produce dysphoria chronic low-level unhappiness , aggression, and violence toward oneself or others.
Even into adulthood, drugs can be useful in alleviating this set of symptoms. Anticonvulsant agents can help, as can drugs that affect the serotonin system. Abuse also causes alterations in left-right hemisphere integration. Some research suggests that anticonvulsant drugs may facilitate the bilateral transmission of information. Left-right hemisphere integration may also improve through activities that require considerable left-right hemisphere cooperation, such as playing a musical instrument.
Certain existing psychotherapies may be helpful. Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, which emphasizes correcting illogical, self-defeating perceptions, may work by strengthening left-hemisphere control over right-hemisphere emotions and impulses.
Traditional, dynamic psychotherapy may work by enabling patients to integrate right-hemisphere emotions while maintaining left-hemisphere awareness, strengthening the connection between the two hemispheres. A moving visual stimulus is used to produce side-to-side eye movements while a clinician guides the patient through recalling highly disturbing memories.
For reasons we do not yet fully understand, patients seem able to tolerate recall during these eye movements and can more effectively integrate and process their disturbing memories. Society reaps what it sows in nurturing its children. It predisposes the child to have a biological basis for fear, though he may act and pretend otherwise. The brain is programmed to a state of defensive adaptation, enhancing survival in a world of constant danger, but at a terrible price. To a brain so tuned, Eden itself would seem to hold its share of dangers; building a secure, stable relationship may later require virtually superhuman personal growth and transformation.
At the extreme, the coupling of severe childhood abuse with other neuropsychiatric handicaps for example, low intelligence, head trauma, or psychosis is repeatedly found in cases of explosive violence. Dorothy Otnow Lewis and Jonathan Pincus have analyzed the neurological and psychiatric history of violent adolescents and adults.
In another study, they reviewed the childhood neuropsychiatric records and family histories of incarcerated delinquents. What might have been a tip-off to those who later were arrested for murder? In a follow-up study of 95 formerly incarcerated juvenile delinquents, they found that the combination of intrinsic neuropsychiatric vulnerabilities and a history of childhood abuse or family violence effectively predicted which adolescents would go on to commit violent crimes.
Lewis concludes that child abuse can engender all pivotal factors associated with violent behavior, namely, impulsivity, irritability, hyper vigilance, paranoia which she interprets as an extreme version of hypervigilance , decreased judgment and verbal ability, and diminished recognition of pain in oneself dissociation and others.
Those with a history of childhood abuse may know right from wrong, but their brains may be so irritable and the connections from the logical, rational hemisphere so weak that intense negative right-hemisphere emotions may incapacitate their use of logic and reason to control their aggressive impulses. Is it just to hold people criminally responsible for actions that they lack the neurological capacity to control?
Even if the abused person comes to terms with the traumatic memories and chooses for the sake of sanity to forgive the perpetrator, this will not reverse the neurobiological abnormalities. Childhood abuse, age, and neurological impairments can be critical mitigating factors that a just society should not ignore.
If we know that the roots of violence are fertilized by childhood abuse, can we make a long-term commitment to reduce violence by focusing on our children rather than our criminals? What if we set a goal of reducing the cases of childhood abuse and neglect by 50 percent a year? We would have to commit ourselves, seriously, to improving access to quality day care and after-school programs. We might need to educate and support parents so they could know how to nurture their children more effectively.
We certainly would need to foster better relationships among peers and siblings. Think of what we could save if we needed fewer prisons and fewer mental health professionals.
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