Child Sexual Abuse and Psychological Impact: A Case Study

Abstract

Globally, there is growing concern over child sexual abuse (CSA). Forced and undesired sexual interaction by one person (the perpetrator) upon another (the victim) constitutes sexual abuse, a horrible crime. Since every CSA is diverse and unique, the effects of sexual abuse appear in different ways in each of them. Despite the high incidence of child sexual abuse in India, survivors and their families are reluctant to come out because they are afraid of social disapproval and don't want to implicate family members. Child sexual abuse can have profound and lasting effects on the psychological aspects of victims. The impact may differ depending on the degree of support the child receives, the relationship between the victim and the abuser, and the severity and length of the abuse. Low self-esteem, emotional regulation problems, sexual dysfunction, trust issues, and attachment and interpersonal problems are some effects of child sexual abuse. In the current investigation, the investigator aims at portraying their psychological issues as an impact of sexual abuse and to suggest social work methods for addressing and resolving the psychological issues of child sexual abused victims. This research is qualitative and narrative style. Data from the respondents was gathered using a case study. For the case study, the researcher employed the Budgell (2008) & Boeji (2010) model. The study highlights how child sexual abuse affects victims' psychological well-being and offers social work approaches to address the serious health issue and suitable methods for addressing the psychological problems.