Child Physical/Sexual Abuse and Pornography

Although we do not have expertise on the psychological and behavioral effects of child abuse in later life, hopefully we can provide some information and point you in the right direction.

Based on some research I have done online, it seems clear that experts agree that being abused as a child can lead to long-term consequences that can show up in adult survivors of child abuse. Children who have been abused are more likely to have poor mental health (for example, low self-esteem, depression, eating disorders), abuse drugs and alcohol, engage in high-risk sexual activity, engage in criminal activity and may also try to recreate the abusive atmosphere that they were exposed to as children, either by being abusive or staying in abusive relationships. Here are some articles that talk about some of the effects of child abuse: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfm, http://www.news.cornell.edu/search/site/childhood%20sex%20abuse

Perhaps some of the long-term effects of being abused as a child may contribute to entering into abusive relationships as adults - I can’t say for sure since I am not an expert in this field. Here is an interesting article I found online on why adults who were abused as children may enter into abusive relationships: http://addictions.about.com/od/sexaddiction/tp/sexualabuse.htm  The author talks about how it may feel “normal” for the victim to be in an abusive relationship, since she may have associated the feeling of fear, shame and guilt with love when she was being abused as a child. The victim may also feel inadequate or believe that she deserves the abuse.

If you are currently in an abusive relationship, you may want to take a look at the section on our site devoted to staying safe. There are tips there on how to stay safe while in an abusive relationship and how to get out of the relationship. http://womenslaw.org/simple.php?sitemap_id=3  Nobody deserves to be abused, both as a child and as an adult and there are domestic violence organizations who can help you. They should have experience working with victims and with providing emotional support and counseling. Here is a link to organizations in your area: LINK. There are also a number of national organizations who specialize in assisting victims of child abuse. You can find those organizations here: http://www.womenslaw.org/gethelp_national_type.php?type_id=1033

If you have been the victim of abuse, you may want to seek some advice or counseling. This link provides chat and message boards for victims of abuse, including people who suffered through child abuse: http://www.womenslaw.org/gethelp_national_chats.php.