Committee on Sexuality and Health: Sexual Dysfunction in Sexually Traumatized Women

The Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Sexual Dysfunction in Jamaican Adults

“…This finding is supported by previous research (e.g., Althof et al, 2004;Loeb, 2002), which states that abuse victims suffer sexual disruption and subsequently experience difficulty in achieving sexual climax that is often a result of anxiety (Althof et al, 2004). The apparent decrease in orgasmic functioning may also be attributed to the feelings of guilt many abused persons, particularly women, associate with having an orgasm, because one or more was experienced during the sexual abuse (Maltz as cited in Braaten, 1996).…”

“…For the victim, this is often accompanied by feelings of shame and guilt. With classical conditioning, previously neutral stimuli become paired with the abuse experience and subsequently elicit a response known as the conditioned emotional response (CER; Maltz as cited in Braaten, 1996). The abused individual therefore attempts to reduce anxiety by avoiding the conditioned stimulus.…”

“…While the linkage between early sexual abuse and later sexual dysfunction is seemingly a logical one and is largely studied and documented internationally (Beitchman, Zucker, Hood, DaCosta, & Akman, 1992;Braaten, 1996;Courtois, 2000;Finkelhor & Browne, 1985;Polusny & Follette, 1995), literature in the Jamaican context is lacking. Discourse on sexuality and related issues has largely focused on sexuality as a social construct or merely documenting the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in the population.…”