Emotional Disturbances and Child Sexual Abuse: A Psychosocial Perspective

Child abuse has many forms: physical, emotional, sexual, neglect, and exploitation. Any of these that are potentially or actually harmful to a child’s health, survival, dignity and development are abuse. Violence against children can be “physical and mental abuse and injury, neglect or negligent treatment, exploitation and sexual abuse”. Research conducted over the past decade indicates that a wide range of psychological and interpersonal problems are more prevalent among those who have been sexually abused children than among individuals with no such experiences. This article summarizes what is currently known about these potential impacts of child sexual abuse. Various problems and symptoms described in the literature on child sexual abuse are reviewed in a series of broad categories including; Child sexual abuse, variety of sexual offenses, indications of sexual abuse in children and adolescents in terms of emotional and behavioural signs. In conclusion importance of psychotherapies have been mentioned as psychological intervention and was discussed few laws against child sexual abuse in the United States and India.