'it is more damaging to be sexually abused by a woman' - PowerPoint Presentation Example

'It is more damaging to be sexually abused by a woman' The word 'sex' has overtaken the lives of many people around the globe. It can be defined as a person having a sexual intercourse with the opposite or the same gender. This sexual intercourse can at times be done at will or can be done forcefully. The intercourse which is inflicted on an individual is termed as 'sexual abuse'. The problem of sexual abuse is of immense importance nowadays. It has been known for centuries that men are the main inflictors of sexual abuse, however in the current years with the help of immense research it has been known that women also, although not equally, but are responsible for the problem of sexual abuse.

This article would further discuss the problem of sexual abuse with regard to both the genders. Sexual abuse is categorized into different sections such as the type of encounter one goes through while the abuse is being inflicted. The encounter could be in the terms of touch, attempts etc. The problem of sexual abuse is known to be fast spreading through out the world. It is estimated that women are more sexually abused than men are in the world (Molnar, Buka and Kessler, 2001). The basic health problems that women face after abuse are anxiety, depression, pain and mental traumas (Walker, Gelfand, Katon, Koss, Von Korff, Bernstein and Adult, 1999).

A common belief among the masses is that a woman cannot sexually abuse an individual, however according to a number of researches reviewed by Russell and Finkelhor (1984) it is concluded that women account for 25 percent of the abuses in the world. Women who sexually abuse individuals belonging to their same gender (i.e. women) affect the victim greatly. These victims as conducted by a research by Goldsmith (2004) are known to suffer through mental distresses and other psychological disorders.

These psychological disorders are due to the fact that the individual was abused by its own gender. Women who are abused by other women go through the problem betrayal, identity crisis, withdrawal from their own gender and mental trauma. The feeling of getting betrayed by their own gender makes the women more conscious when dealing with other individuals of the same gender. It furthermore makes them go through a problem of identity crisis as these women do not consider their own gender to be trust worthy (Goldsmith 2004).

Women who are sexually abused by males show different but problems of same intensity as discussed above. They go through behavior problems, anxiety, and depression and are more likely to hurt themselves in their lives (Finkelhor and Browne 1986). Men who suffer from the problems of sexual abuse go through almost similar effects as women. Men who are abused by their own gender suffer from the problem of guilt, self-blaming, low self-esteem, identity crisis depression and shame. These individuals are most likely of not sharing their ordeals with others as they have the fear of being called 'gay'.

Similarly as they do not share their ordeals with others they are more likely to go through the problem of low self-esteem (Myers 1989, Lew 1988, Hunter 1990). It has been found with the help of different researches conducted by Krugs (1989) that sexually abused men are more likely to indulge in substance abuse. Similarly men who are abused by the opposite gender face further problems. These include betrayal by the gender that is supposedly more caring and trust worthy. Furthermore a research conducted by David Lisek in 1994 helped to ascertain the effects of sexual abuse done by women on men.

The individuals going through this type of sexual abuse may suffer from the same problems as that of the women who are abused by men. The children who are abused at tender ages may tend to develop more diseases in their lives. These children are not able to get over the mental trauma which they go through. Girls who are sexually abused by their father may tend to show similar problems as that of the women who are abused. While the ones who are abused by their mother, may suffer from the problem of insecurity and shame.

Similarly the boys who are abused by their fathers and mothers may develop the same problems as that of the women (Elliot 1993). The results of these researches shows that both the genders do not respond differently to the abuse they are subjected, however they do respond differently to different forms of subjection. The problem of sexual abuse has increased through out the world and it is estimated that one woman out of three in this world is subjected to sexual assault in life. This shows how high the prevalence rate of sexual abuse in this world is and therefore the control measures for this problem should be addressed widely (Krug 2002).

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Ottawa, Ont: National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, 1986. Lisak, D. (1994). The psychological impact of sexual abuse: Content analysis of interviews with male survivors. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 7, 525-548.