Signs of childhood sexual trauma update#

These are some emotional signs that could indicate a problem, including the possibility of sexual abuse: If your child shows any of the physical signs listed above, take him or her to a doctor right away.

Underwear stained with blood or other discharge.

Physical pain or itching in the genital area.

Soiling or wetting clothes, or bedwetting (or an increase, if it happens already).

These are some physical signs that could indicate a problem, including the possibility of sexual abuse: Knowing these stages of development will help you notice if something doesn’t seem right, which might indicate a problem. It’s important to know what’s natural and healthy in kids’ sexual development (for example, many young children are curious about sexuality and frequently play with their private body parts). These changes might not be dramatic, but could include several subtle changes.

Unusual, persistent, or developmentally inappropriate questioning about human sexuality.

Frequent drawings that have sexual content.

Persistent sex play with friends, toys, or pets.

Excessive play with their own private body parts.

Self-mutilation or careless behaviors resulting in self-harm.

Changes in quality of schoolwork or grades.

Sudden, unexplained fears of certain places or kinds of people (such as all people with a particular feature or characteristic).Fear of being alone with a certain person.Acting younger or going back to doing younger tasks and activities.These are some behaviors that could mean your child has experienced sexual abuse or another trauma: Behavioral SignsĬhild sexual abuse survivor Melisa describes her cries for help that just seemed like bad behavior: But it’s important to be alert to these signs, figure out why they’re happening, and get your child help. Many of these changes aren’t specific to sexual abuse-they can happen with other kinds of trauma or stress, and they can vary by age. Recognizing and treating child traumatic stress.Kids often don’t tell about sexual abuse ( read about why), but sometimes they’ll display behavioral, physical, and emotional changes. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Post-traumatic stress disorder in children. Prevalence of childhood trauma and correlations between childhood trauma, suicidal ideation, and social support in patients with depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia in southern China. Childhood trauma, HPA axis activity and antidepressant response in patients with depression. Nikkheslat N, McLaughlin A, Hastings C, et al. Trauma changes everything: Examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and serious, violent and chronic juvenile offenders. Childhood abuse and later marital outcomes: So partner characteristics moderate the association?. Childhood trauma and adult interpersonal relationship problems in patients with depression and anxiety disorders. Effects of childhood trauma on depression and suicidality in adulthood. The adverse childhood experiences questionnaire: Two decades of research on childhood trauma as a primary cause of adult mental illness, addiction, and medical diseases. Zarse E, Neff M, Yoder R, Hulvershorn L, Chambers J, Chambers R.

Signs of childhood sexual trauma update#

Childhood adversity and adult chronic disease: An update from ten states and the District of Columbia, 2010. Gilbert LK, Breiding MJ, Merrick MT, et al. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. Supporting brain development in traumatized children and youth. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children.Īmerican Psychological Association. Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services. Exhibit 1.3-4: DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for PTSD. How common is PTSD in children and teens?.Ĭenter for Substance Abuse Treatment (US). Parental divorce is not uniformly disruptive to children's educational attainment. The biological effects of childhood trauma. Design, delivery, and evaluation of early interventions for children exposed to acute trauma. Adverse childhood experiences and the lifelong consequences of trauma. Helping children and youth who have traumatic experiences.Īmerican Academy of Pediatrics. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.