Childhood Sexual Abuse and Its Effects in Adult Life Joanna Włodarczyk

The analysis of the material showed risky sexual behaviours, such as multiple sexual partners and casual sex (14 cases). In half of these cases (7) those were actually promiscuous behaviours. The survivors of CSA often engaged in sexual contact while intoxicated. For some of them, alcohol and sex were inextricably connected, as a result of being plied with alcohol during their childhood abuse experiences.

In some of the analysed cases, the respondents were explicit that the victims had exposed themselves to rape, unaware of how risky their behaviour was. Of course, this by no means diminishes the responsibility of the perpetrators, but simply shows that individuals whose intimate boundaries have been violated and who have not processed the experience, may find it difficult to accurately assess risky situations. Altogether, 21 CSA survivors experienced repeated sexual victimization: 16 when they were still children and 17 also in adulthood (some victims experienced repeated abuse both as children and as grown-ups).