Long Term Effects of Sexual Abuse - Coursework Example

Long Term Life Effects of Sexual Abuse Lecturer Introduction Sexual abuse is among the social vices common across many societies worldwide. This occurs when an individual takes advantage of his or her power over another person and involves that person in a sexual act. The power of the abuser can lie in factors such as the age difference, physical superiority or the victim’s dependency on that individual. There are various forms of sexual abuse: genital stimulation, oral sex, fondling and sexual harassment among others. The offender may force the victim into the sexual acts through bribes, threats, force and other strategies of coercion. In many cases, sexual abuse is usually an ongoing process that occurs over a prolonged period of time. Sexual abuse has significant short term and long term impact on the victim, and this may affect their social and personal lives in future. This also has significant effects to their families and friends as well. The focus of this paper is to highlight some of the long term effects of sexual abuse has on the future lives of the victims. Victims of sexual abuse experience problems in their marriage and personal lives, and are likely to engage in high risk behaviors. These problems are common to both males and females. The effect of sexual Abuse on Future Marriage Life A number of studies have shown that persons who have been sexually abused at any given stage in their lives are likely to experience problems in their future marriage lives. In a study conducted by Andrew Cherlin, Linda Burton, Tera Hurt and Diane Purvin (2004), the authors used ethnographic and survey data to determine the effect of sexual and physical abuse have on marriage and cohabitation. This study was based on a survey of women in families in San Antonio, Chicago and Boston. According to the results of the study, the authors observe that women who have been abused sexually abused in their childhood are unlikely to live in long term marital or cohabiting unions (Cherlin, et al, 2004). Such women experience short-term unions that do not lead to stable marriages. The possible explanation is that persons sexually abused in their childhood have weak family and friendship ties, and this makes it difficult to get the necessary emotional support needed to sustain a relationship. Furthermore, persons who have been sexually abused, especially during their childhood, suffer from depression and other mental health issues (Cherlin, et al, 2004). Such problems further make them experience difficulties in communicating and living with partners for sustained periods. In many cases, persons are sexually abused by persons close to them such a family members and friends. This makes it difficult for abused people to trust anyone, even their spouses, and this further contributes to their poor marriage life. As noted by the authors, sexual abuse during childhood affects women more than men in their later marriage and social lives. This illustrates how sexual abuse lives permanent and damaging scars on an individual, thereby affecting their future life. The scars left behind are both emotional and psychological, and these are the most difficult to heal. Sexual Abuse and Adult Violence Persons who have been sexually abused during their childhood are likely to experience further physical and sexual abuse later in adulthood. In a study conducted by Angela Hattery (2009), the author interviewed 35 African American and white women physically abused in their relationships. Based on the results, the author notes that women who have been sexually abused in their childhood are likely to be experience sexual and physical abuse in their marriages and adult lives. This is because when a person is sexually abused; his or her self-esteem diminishes, making him/her an easy target by the abusers. For such people, having been sexually abused makes them loose their self worth, and are generally defenseless. In addition, persons who have been sexually abused, especially women, are likely to run away from their homes and get married to persons they do not understand well (Hattery, 2009). This further makes it possible for such people to get into abusive relationships. Such relationships are usually used by the victims as hideouts from shame and discrimination from the family and immediate society. Women who have been sexually abused are likely to get into relationships and marriages with the sole aim of getting protection from their partners. Persons sexually abused are likely to develop negative effects towards people of the opposite sex throughout their lives. As a result, they are likely to develop aggressive behaviors towards such persons, and this makes them grow into violent adults. Therefore, victims of sexual abuse are not only easy targets for further abuse but may also develop into violent adults. This violence, especially against the opposite sex, is seen as a form of self defense in order to prevent a repeat of what happened to them. When such behaviors are developed, it becomes difficult to develop good relationships and grow a network of friends. Sexual Abuse and Risk Behaviors People who have been sexually abused are likely to engage in risk behaviors. In a study conducted by Elizabeth Saewyc, Lara Magee and Sandra Pettingell (2004), the authors attempted to highlight teenage pregnancies and other risk behaviors among adolescents who have been sexually abused. Based on the results of their study, the authors observe that teenagers who had at one time been sexually abused are likely to report involvement in pregnancy and other risk behaviors. Although this applies to both men and women, the authors note that sexually abused men are likely to involve in teenage pregnancies and other risk behaviors than men. This is attributed to the fact that most men who are sexually abused come from dysfunctional families and hence lack the support to cope with the abuse. In the end, such people use other negative coping means such as running away from home, alcohol and drug abuse to deal with the situation (Saewyc, et al, 2004). This exposes them to a higher risk of teenage pregnancies and other health problems. This implies that when an individual is sexually abused, the inability to cope with the trauma may lead him or her into engaging in other high risk behaviors. It will be of no surprise to note that a person sexually abused in childhood, especially a male, is likely to engage in the same behavior in adult hood as a way of revenging and restoring his dignity. In addition, sexually abused teenagers who engage in such high risk activities are less likely to succeed on school and this further complicates their future lives. Such people might drop out of school before completing their studies or may simply fail to pass their studies. Implications Two major implications result from the analysis above. First, in order to help sexually abused persons develop into productive and stable adults, there is need to focus more on the long term effects of the abuse than the immediate effects. This involves providing counseling and moral support in order so as to help the affected individual cope with the trauma in the long term. Secondly, marriage counselors need to focus on the sexual experiences of the partners before marriage. The discussion above shows that marriage is one of the highly affected areas when it comes to sexual abuse. This will help understand how these previous experiences have shaped their views towards people of the opposite sex. Conclusion The discussion above shows that sexual abuse has long term effects on the victim in his or her adult life. Sexual abuse, especially during childhood, affects how a person relates to persons of the opposite sex and the society in general. This greatly affects one’s marriage, career and academic life. Many of those affected are women, and most tend to use marriage to run away from society and their immediate environments. Unfortunately, this leads to further exploitation and abuse in such marriages. Sexual abuse also leads a person to use negative coping means such as drug abuse, and this further predisposes the individual to other high risk behaviors. There is need for family and caregivers to offer the necessary psychological and social support to such victims in order to make them productive adults. References Cherlin, et al (2004). The Influence of Physical and Sexual Abuse on Marriage and Cohabitation. American Sociological Review, 69(6): pp. 768-789. Retrieved from http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003- 1224%28200412%2969%3A6%3C768%3ATIOPAS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C Hattery, A. (2009). Sexual Abuse in Childhood - Intimate Partner Violence in Adulthood - Struggles for African American and White Women. Race, Gender & Class, 16(1/2): pp.194-217 Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/41658868 Saewyc, et al (2004). Teenage Pregnancy and Associated Risk Behaviors Among Sexually Abused Adolescents. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 36(3): pp. 98-105. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3181281 Read More