Correlation between Sexual Abuse and Psychiatric Disorders - Literature review Example

Nursing care Insert Nursing care A lot of research has been done on the causes of psychiatric disorders, and this has yielded much information about this topic. Despite such great progress, some questions still lie in the minds of researchers about sexual abuse and psychiatric disorders. Many articles have been published about this topic each giving an array of evidences on how sexual abuse leads to psychiatric disorders. The question remains does sexual abuse lead to a lifetime of psychiatric disorders. This paper reviews various research articles on the topic, critically analyzing each article and whether sexual abuse really leads to psychiatric disorders. In the first article, Chen et al (2010) systematically assesses the relation between sexual abuse and a lifetime of psychiatric disorders. The research was both qualitative and quantitative, and sexual abuse was seen to lead to disorders like anxiety or even sleep disorders among others. Sex and age of the victim was of no significance at the time of abuse, but data collected clearly showed that people who survive sexual abuse end up with a myriad of psychiatric disorders throughout their lifetime. According to this article, there is need for more research in this field especially on differences in effects of sexual abuse at specific ages. There is the suggestion that the effects of sexual abuse are different at specific ages, and in some cases psychiatric disorders can even be averted. Joanna et al (2008) did a study on psychiatric disorder and sexual abuse among inpatient adolescents in a certain hospital. The study gave both qualitative and quantitative results on the occurrence of psychiatric disorders such as mood, adjustment and anxiety disorders. The family history, sexual abuse history and psychiatric disorders were studied on the adolescent inpatients. Among the key findings of this study was that there is a relation of sexual abuse and psychiatric disorders but also care should be taken during diagnosis of such illnesses for appropriate treatment to be given. This research was based on inpatient adolescents, other ages were not considered therefore, more research needs to be done on other ages and adolescents who are not inpatient. Jonas et al (2010) used the results from the 2007 morbidity survey in England to show the relationship between sexual abuse and psychiatric disorders. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected by using observation and study of literature from the 2007 morbidity survey. Random studies were conducted from different households, and it was found that just as the morbidity survey had shown, there was strong evidence of the relationship between sexual abuse and psychiatric disorders. Age was also a factor considered during this study, both adults and children who were abused ended up with psychiatric disorders. This research offers almost complete information about the issue because the participants were diverse and the conditions under which the research was done covered almost all conditions. Nichole et al (2011) did a study on female survivors of sexual abuse and the assessment of psychiatric disorders. Several female survivors were interviewed in the study, and it was found that female survivors of sexual abuse ended up with one or more psychiatric disorders. The study also showed the current trends in diagnosing psychiatric disorders in patients with sexual abuse. After collection of data, it was seen that it is important to conduct assessment immediately after the trauma to obtain first hand information. The research covers only female survivors and female sexual offenders, in order to confirm whether sexual abuse leads to a lifetime of psychiatric disorders, more research is to be done. The other article by Richard et al (2008) did an integrative study on the effect of a childhood sexual event on the development of psychiatric disorders in females. On page 490, the author states “the most common psychiatric disorders include borderline, avoidant and dependent disorders” The article says that there is evidence of psychiatric disorders being caused by sexual abuse. Female sexual offenders in jail had previously been sexually abused and they abuse others. The main theme is that psychiatric disorders lead to sexual abuse and not the other way round. The article did their data collection by literature review from other authors. The author’s advice that more research needs to be done especially because of the inconsistencies in the findings of this research. authors Theoretic framework Type of study Design Data collection approach Key findings 1. Chen et al Systematic study Quantitative and qualitative experimental -study of published literature -observation -comprehensive search Sexual abuse survivors end up with long term psychiatric disorders. 2. Joanna et al integrated Qualitative and quantitative experimental -pilot testing -study of literature There is a relationship between psychiatric disorders, substance abuse and sexual abuse 3. Richard & William integrative qualitative Non-experimental -study of published literature There is a relationship between substance abuse and later psychiatric disorders 4. Jonas et al systematic qualitative Non-experimental -observation People with a history of childhood sexual abuse mostly have mental disorders 5. Nichole et al Integrative qualitative Non-experimental Study of published literature Female survivors of sexual abuse end up with psychiatric disorders Literature review Consistencies and inconsistencies in the articles The articles by Chen et al, Joanna et al and Jonas et al all agree on one thing, that sexual abuse at any age lead to sexual abuse. The disorders that arise from such include mood disorders, sleep disorders and anxiety disorders among others. The two articles by Richard et al and Nichole et al agree on the fact that female survivors of sexual abuse end up with a myriad of psychiatric disorders. However, the article by Richard et al goes ahead and shows that such female survivors end up sexually abusing others as a way of reflecting what was done to them. The explanation for the findings of this research is the fact that the research was done on female sexual offenders only unlike the one done by Nichole et al. there could be other inconsistencies in research due to the time of doing research it was seen that continuous research done to patients who have recently experienced sexual trauma was different from research like that done by Richard et al to female sexual offenders. In the 19th century, child abuse was discovered but the research and treatment was based mostly on females than males. Only recently has it been discovered that males also undergo sexual abuse. A comprehensive search on all age groups, languages and populations and sexual abuse was seen to play a part in psychiatric disorders. There is underreporting of instances of sexual abuse and it was proposed that the results might be more than the 26% acquired from the study. Data collection was through scientists and researchers and the data was collected from a developed protocol 21. Sexual abuse was seen as rape or threatened sexual violence, which led to anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders among many others. A study done in Canada showed that people exposed to sexual abuse have a higher risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder. The very first connection made between sexual abuse and psychiatric disorders was made due to a few people who had the guts to come out and discuss the traumatic event. There is also fear of disclosure of abuse due to stigmatization, which fuels the development of psychiatric disorders. According to Jonas et al (2011), the main psychiatric disorders include eating disorders, mood disorders and post traumatic stress disorders. Both children and adults who have undergone sexual abuse were bound to have a lifetime of psychiatric disorders. Demographically, it did not depend on where the patient comes from or the language they speak. There are various reasons given for the development of psychiatric problems due to sexual abuse. It is said that this is seen as a probing into the most intimate and private part of a person’s life. An individual may end up being unable to express what he or she feels to other people due to embarrassment leading to the development of mood disorders and depression. Anxiety may form due to the victim seeing himself as unimportant. The victim may try to suppress their feelings and in the end develop psychiatric problems. However, according to some studies like that done by Richard et al (2008), most females with psychiatric disorders end up sexually abusing others. Here, a psychiatric disorder leads to sexual abuse and not the other way round. This is especially common in female sexual offenders than in males. Female sexual offenders with psychiatric problems tend to view this practice as normal because in most cases no violence is involved. Such females probably behave as they do due to their lack of social skills and they were probably sexually abused or traumatized at some point in their lives. Among the limitations of this study are the inaccessibility of the females with such problems and the rarity of such a practice. From the above researches and many more studies done, it is still not clear as to whether sexual abuse predisposes one to a lifetime of sexual abuse. Psychological impacts of sexual abuse are unique to each individual and no amount of research could come up with a perfect treatment for recovery of such. There are also still limitations to this field of research such as the inability of victims to open up and become known with such information and inability of researchers to talk to victims immediately after the event. The most current methods of treatment involve the random use of various methods like counseling and an array of drugs. Articles written by many authors advocate for early diagnosis and treatment of sexual abuse before it develops to a more serious psychiatric disorder. Despite all these problems, several advances have been made in this field. Earlier on, the approach on treatment insisted on the victim identifying themselves as victims of sexual abuse. This was traumatic for most victims as the subject was not very well understood by the public and the problem of victimization was there. Some victims therefore preferred being quiet about events of sexual abuse. Treatments have been developed for patients who show certain psychiatric symptoms to make the assessment and treatment more effective. For instance cognitive restructuring where the victim is encouraged to be more optimistic and change negative thoughts to positive ones. They also encourage exposure of the victim to the trauma by using guidance. So far, the above treatments have been used successfully in patients with posttraumatic stress disorders. References Catherine Itzin, Susan Bailey and Arnon Bentovim. (2008). The Effects of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse on Mental Health. The Psychiatric 32:448-450. Chen, L, P. et al. (2010). Sexual Abuse and Lifetime Diagnosis of Psychiatric Disorders: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 85(7): 618-629. Joanna et al. (2008). Psychiatric Disorder, Sexual Abuse and Substance Use Among Adolescent Inpatients. Virginia Youth Project. (http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=PSM&volumeId=41&seriesId=0&issueId=04). Jonas, S, et al. (2011). Sexual Abuse and Psychiatric Disorder in England: Results From the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey. Psychology Medicine, 41(4):709-719. Nicole, P, Y., Mary, P, Koss and Mirto Stone. (2011). Current Trends in Psychological Assessment and Treatment Approaches for Survivors of Sexual Trauma. National Online Resource Center on Violence against Women http://www.vawnet.org Richard, L. and William, T, O. (2008). Sexual Deviance: Theory, Assessment and Treatment. New York: Cengage Learning. Read More