Specific symptoms of sexual abuse
from the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress)
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/somatic-psychology/201303/trauma-childhood-sexual-abuse
- Withdrawal and mistrust of adults
- Suicidality
- Difficulty relating to others except in sexual or seductive ways
- Unusual interest in or avoidance of all things sexual or physical
- Sleep problems, nightmares, fears of going to bed
- Frequent accidents or self-injurious behaviors
- Refusal to go to school, or to the doctor, or home
- Secretiveness or unusual aggressiveness
- Sexual components to drawings and games
- Neurotic reactions (obsessions, compulsiveness, phobias)
- Habit disorders (biting, rocking)
- Unusual sexual knowledge or behavior
- Prostitution
- Forcing sexual acts on other children
- Extreme fear of being touched
- Unwillingness to submit to physical examination
Studies have shown that children who experience sexual abuse tend to recover quicker and with better results if they have a supportive, caring adult (ideally a parent) consistently in their life.
It’s crucial for every victim of sexual abuse to seek counseling to decrease or to prevent PTSD symptoms.
