The structure of the psychological consequences of sexual violence and abuse against children and adolescents

Abstract

The results of the joint psychiatric-psychological examination of 175 victims of child sexual abuse (CSA) are presented. A complex of methods and techniques was used, including semi-structured interview for detection of posttraumatic stress in children, inventories for quality of life and maladjustment assessment, a battery of methods applied in the forensic psychiatric-psychological expertise, statistical methods. In the framework of the clinical and psychological (non-clinical) levels psychological consequences of CSA in accordance with the psychic state of victims were revealed. 4 groups of consequences with different intensity are described: psychogenic state in form of disorder (1) and psychogenic state in form of reaction (2) (clinical level); unfavorable psychological state (3) and minimally unfavorable state (4) (psychological level). It was stated that the more severe is the victim’s psychic disturbance, from minimally unfavorable to psychic disorder, the broader is the range of psychological, personality spheres involved the bigger is the number and the intensity of symptoms of posttraumatic reactions. Psychological consequences displayed by mentally healthy victims of CSA indicate, though, their quality of life impairment.

Psychological Traumas in Children and Adolescents: Causes and Nature of Maladaptation Signs

“…findings of modern genetic studies, that proved a harmful impact of the wrong environment on genes work (the so-called "epigenetic process") at an early age, which leads to an asocial behavior [9]. However, in spite of a long-term experience of studies devoted to a psychological trauma, and a high activity of specialists who are interested in the issues of child and adolescent abuse, there are still unsolved problems of complex assessment of adaptational abilities in children and adolescents from a deprived background [15]. With this respect, boarders of social protection institutions (SPI) make up a specific cohort, due to their heavy traumatic psychological experience, which makes it difficult to develop appropriate complex rehabilitation programs.…”