EDGC 682 Child Sexual Abuse

1. EDGC 682Child Sexual Abuse Fall Semester 2012 Dean Owen, Ph.D., LPCC Department of Foundational and Graduate Studies in Education

2. Some questions for you…..

3. Question 1 Child sexual abuse always involves some form of physical contact with children. False Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

4. Question 2 Most child molesters are male. True Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

5. Question 3 Child molesters are typically unknown to their victims. False Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

6. Question 4 Most victims of child sexual abuse suffer no long-term effects. False Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

7. Question 5 About 20% of child molesters began abusing children prior to the age of 18. True Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

8. Question 6 Only a small percentage of victims are male. False Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

9. Question 7 Most churches screen workers for potential molesters. False Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

10. Question 8 Church leaders cannot be held liable for child sexual abuse. False Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

11. Question 9 Some child sexual abuse victims have won settlements of over $1,000.000 from churches. True Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

12. Question 10 Child sexual abuse is a criminal offense in all 50 states. True Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

13. Question 11 A child molester may have more than 500 victims in a lifetime. True Source :www.westmichiganconference.org

14. Question 12 Child victims of sexual abuse will have physical signs of abuse. False

15. Question 13 Sexual victimization as a child will inevitably result in the child growing up to become a sex offender. False

16. Question 14 Child sexual abuse tends to occur primarily in low and lower-middle income families. False

17. Question 15 Teaching children to avoid strangers is the best insurance against child sexual abuse. False

18. Question 16 Most child abusers look and act perfectly normal. True

19. Definitions of child sexual abuse

20. Definition: Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childsexualabuse.html

21. Definition: "Abuse, sexual (child): generally defined as contacts between a child and an adult or other person significantly older or in a position of power or control over the child, where the child is being used for sexual stimulation of the adult or other person.“ APA (1999) Source: American Psychological Association, 1999)

22. Definition: Under the law, "child sexual abuse" is an global term which describes criminal and civil offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification. Source: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

23. Definition: The American Psychiatric Association states that "children cannot consent to sexual activity with adults", and condemns any such action by an adult: "An adult who engages in sexual activity with a child is performing a criminal and immoral act which never can be considered normal or socially acceptable behavior.” Source: American Psychiatric Association, (1999)

24. Forms Child sexual abuse includes: 1. sexual touching of any part of the body, clothed or unclothed, including using an object 2. all penetrative sex, including penetration of the mouth with an object or part of the body 3. encouraging a child to engage in sexual activity, including sexual acts with someone else, or making a child strip or masturbate 4. intentionally engaging in sexual activity in front of a child or not taking proper measures to prevent a child being exposed to sexual activity by others Source: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

25. Forms 5. meeting a child following sexual 'grooming', or preparation, with the intention of abusing them 6. taking, making, permitting to take, distributing, showing or advertising indecent images of children 7. paying for the sexual services of a child or encouraging them into prostitution or pornography 8. showing a child images of sexual activity including photographs, videos or via webcams. Source: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)

26. Types of Abuse Child sexual abuse includes a variety of sexual offenses, including:

27. Types Child sexual abuse includes a variety of sexual offenses, including: Sexual Assault – a term defining offenses in which an adult touches a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification; for example, rape (including sodomy), and sexual penetration with an object. Most U.S. states include, in their definitions of sexual assault, any penetrative contact of a minor’s body, however slight, if the contact is performed for the purpose of sexual gratification. Source: Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect, Summary of State Laws, National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

28. Types Child sexual abuse includes a variety of sexual offenses, including: Sexual exploitation – a term defining offenses in which an adult victimizes a minor for advancement, sexual gratification, or profit; for example, prostituting a child,and creating or trafficking in child pornography. Source: Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect, Summary of State Laws, National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

29. Types Child sexual abuse includes a variety of sexual offenses, including: Sexual Grooming - describesthe social conduct of a potential child sex offender who seeks to make a minor more accepting of their advances, for example in an online chat room. Source: Crosson-Tower, Cynthia (2005). UNDERSTANDING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. Allyn & Bacon. p. 208. ISBN0-205-40183-X.

30. Prevalence: Because child abuse is both illegal and immoral in most cultures it becomes problematic to precisely assess just how widespread and prevalent it is. In an attempt to cope with the lack of consistent data a meta-analytic study was done at the University of Barcelona in 2009. This research analyzed 65 research investigations from 22 countries in an attempt to estimate the scope of abuse. The resulting article was published in the Clinical Psychology Review under the title: Prevalence of child sexual abuse in community and student samples: A meta-analysis. Some of the findings from this study follow: Source: Pereda, N., Guilera, G., Forns, M., & Gomez-Bonito, J. (2009)

31. The study’s findings include: Globally 7.9% of men 9.7% of women experienced sexual abuse prior to the age of 18.

32. The study’s findings include: U.S. rates 7.5% for males, 25.3% for females.

33. The study’s findings include: Africa had the highest rate (34.4%) Europe reported the lowest with 9.2%

34. The study’s findings include: For women, seven countries reported prevalence rates above 20%: Australia (37.8%) Costa Rica (32.2%) Tanzania (31.0%) Israel (30.7%) Sweden (28.1%) United States (25.3%) and Switzerland (24.2%).

35. Effects • The effects of child sexual abuse can include: • Depression (Roosa, Reinholtz, & Angelini, 1999) • Post-traumatic stress disorder (Widom, 1999) • Anxiety (Levitan, Rector, Sheldon, & Goering, 2003) • Propensity for further victimization (Messman-Moore & Long, 2000) • Physical injury (Dinwiddie, Heath, Dunne, et al., 2000)

36. Effects Sexual abuse by a family member is a form of incest, and can result in more serious and long-term psychological trauma, especially in the case of parental incest.(Courtois,1988)

37. Effects Psychological harm The short and long-term consequences of child abuses identified by research include: Psychopathology in later life h. Somatization neurosis Depression i. Chronic pain disorder Post-traumatic stress j. Sexualized Behavior Anxiety k. School and learning probs. Eating disorders, l. Substance abuse Self-injurious behavior m. Self-destructive behavior Poor self-esteem n. Animal cruelty

38. Effects Physical harm (Traumatic Injury) Depending on: Age, size of child and force used….. Sexual abuse may cause internal lacerations and bleeding… In severe cases, damage to internal organs and even death… (Anderson et al., 2004) Herman-Giddens et al. found six certain and six probable cases of death due to child sexual abuse in North Carolina between 1985 and 1994. The victims ranged in age from 2 months to 10 years. Causes of death included trauma to the genitalia or rectum and sexual mutilation. (Herman-Giddens et. al., 1999)

39. Effects Physical harm (Infections) Child sexual abuse may cause infections and sexually transmitted diseases.Depending on the age of the child, due to a lack of sufficient vaginal fluid, chances of infections are higher. Vaginitis has also been reported.(De Jong, 1985)

40. Effects Physical harm (Neurological damage) Research has shown that traumatic stress, including stress caused by sexual abuse, causes notable changes in brain functioning and development. Various studies have suggested that severe child sexual abuse may have a deleterious effect on brain development. (Szalavitz & Perry, 2006)

41. Effects Physical harm (Neurological damage) Navaltaet al. (2006) found that the self-reported math Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of their sample of women with a history of repeated child sexual abuse were significantly lower than the self-reported math SAT. They also found a strong association between short term memory impairments for all categories tested (verbal, visual, and global) and the duration of the abuse.

42. Incest Incest between a child or adolescent and a related adult has been identified as the most widespread form of child sexual abuse with a huge capacity for damage to a child. (Courtois, 1988)

43. Incest 70% of abusers are immediate family members or someone very close to the family. Source: Barabara E. Bogorad, Psy.D., A.B.P.P.,Founder and Former Director, Sexual Abuse Recovery Program Unit South Oaks Hospital, New York. "Sexual Abuse:Surviving the Pain". The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, Inc..

44. Incest Some research suggests that about 30% of all perpetrators of sexual abuse are related to their victim, 60% of the perpetrators are family acquaintances, like a neighbor, babysitter or friend and 10% of the perpetrators in child sexual abuse cases are strangers. Julia Whealin, Ph.D. (2007-05-22). "Child Sexual Abuse". National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, US Department of Veterans Affairs.

45. Parent-Child Incest A child sexual abuse offense where the perpetrator is related to the child, either by blood or marriage, is a form of incest described as intrafamilial child sexual abuse. (Fridell, 1990) The most-often reported form of incest is father-daughter and stepfather-daughter incest, with most of the remaining reports consisting of mother/stepmother-daughter/son incest. (Turner, 1996)

46. Parent-Child Incest Father-son incest is reported less often, however it is not known if the prevalence is less, because it is under-reported by a greater Margin. (Cartois, 1988) Prevalence of parental child sexual abuse is difficult to assess due to secrecy and privacy; some estimates show 20 million Americans have been victimized by parental incest as children. (Turner, 1996)

47. Incest Similarly, some argue that sibling incest may be as common, or more common, than other types of incest: Goldman and Goldman (1997) reported that 57% of incest involved siblings; Cawson et al. (2000) indicated that sibling incest was reported twice as often as incest perpetrated by fathers/stepfathers.

48. Treatment • The initial approach to treating a person who has been a victim of sexual abuse is dependent upon several important factors: • Age at the time of presentation • Circumstances of presentation for treatment • Co-morbid conditions • The goal of treatment is not only to treat current mental health issues, but to prevent future ones. See: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/sexabuse/sexabusef.cfm

49. Treatment Children and adolescents Presentation sources criminal investigations, custody battles, problematic behaviors, and referrals from child welfare agencies. The three major modalities for therapy with children and teenagers are family therapy, group therapy, and individual therapy. Which course is used depends on a variety of factors that must be assessed on a case by case basis. Source: Cynthia Winn; Anthony J. Urquiza (2004). Treatment For Abused And Neglected Children: Infancy To Age 18 – User Manual Series. Diane Pub Co. ISBN 0-7881-1661-4.

50. Roland C. Summit, proposed a series of stages through which abuse victims may pass and coined the term Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome. He suggested that children who are victims of sexual abuse depict a range of symptoms that include: Secrecy, Helplessness, Entrapment, Accommodation, Delayed and conflicted disclosure and Recantation. Source: Summit, Roland C. (January 1983). "The child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome". Child Abuse & Neglect7 (22).