The long-term effects of child sexual abuse

The long-term effects of child sexual abuse

Judith Cashmore and Rita Shackel

CFCA Paper No. 11 — January 2013
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The long-term effects of child sexual abuse

This paper reviews recent Australian and international research on the long-term effects of child sexual abuse. It aims to assist practitioners and policy-makers who work with survivors of sexual abuse and their families to understand the significant findings from this large and sometimes complex body of research.

Terminology

For consistency and clarity the current paper uses the term "victim" for the childhood experience and "survivor" for the adult experience or impact.

For further information on the definition of child sexual abuse and other child maltreatment subtypes see What is Child Abuse and Neglect?

Please note: The content in this report contains information that may cause distress to some readers.

If you have been affected by child sexual abuse and are distressed, support services are available if you want to talk to someone.

Key messages

Child sexual abuse (CSA) covers a broad range of sexual activities perpetrated against children, mostly by someone known and trusted by the child.

The research on the longer-term impact of child sexual abuse indicates that there may be a range of negative consequences for mental health and adjustment in childhood, adolescence and adulthood.

Not all victims experience these difficulties - family support and strong peer relationships appear to be important in buffering the impact.

Recent research indicates that male victims are less likely to disclose their abuse and take longer to do so. Male and female victims may be impacted in different ways.

It is not straightforward to tease out the effects of child sexual abuse and other adverse experiences in childhood and adulthood (including being victimised again), but more recent rigorous research is better able to do so.

Aspects of the abuse, including the relationship with the perpetrator and the betrayal of trust, the age and gender of the child, and the particular form of abuse are significant factors.

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Authors and Acknowledgements

Associate Professor Judy Cashmore and Dr Rita Shackel are both at the Sydney Law School, University of Sydney.

The authors wish to thank Dr Daryl Higgins and Rhys Price-Robertson, both from the Australian Institute of Family Studies for their feedback on this paper.

Publication details

CFCA Paper
No. 11
Published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, January 2013.
28 pp.
ISSN: 
2200-4106
ISBN: 
978-1-922038-20-3

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Further reading

Effects of child abuse and neglect for adult survivors

CFCA Resource Sheet— Jan 2014

An overview of the potential long-term effects of child abuse and neglect that can extend into adulthood for survivors

Effects of child abuse and neglect for children and adolescents

CFCA Resource Sheet— Jan 2014

An overview of the possible effects and adverse consequences of child abuse and neglect for children and adolescents

Fathers with a history of child sexual abuse: New findings for policy and practice

CFCA Paper— Jul 2012

Outlines the research into a history of child sexual abuse can influence men's perceptions and experience of fatherhood.

Fathers with a history of child sexual abuse: New findings for policy and practice

Sexual abuse and exploitation prevention: Effective responses

Webinar
28 April 2014

This webinar presented current research evidence on the extent of child sexual abuse in Australia, and outlined effective responses to prevention.

Related topics

PACRA Register

The Protecting Australia's Children: Research and Evaluation Register is a searchable database of 944 research and evaluation projects related to protecting children. A range of filtering options enable easy access to relevant Australian research conducted between 2011 and 2015.

Access the Register

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