SEXUAL ABUSE IN CHILDHOOD: RELATIONSHIP WITH POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejphs.v6i2.159Keywords:
sexual abuse, childhood, post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, comorbidity, mental disordersAbstract
This study is a systems research that aims to investigate whether children who have been sexually abused develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Research has shown that traumatic events in a person's life such as an accident, a natural disaster, and sexual abuse are directly related to the development of PTSD, as demonstrated by the research used in this thesis. The paper was guided by PRISMA 2020, which helped guide the research. The surveys used for the paper were 8 (n=8) and involved children who had been sexually abused between the ages of 1-17 and developed PTSD and in some cases in co-morbidity with other mental disorders. The surveys were briefly analyzed and then converted into tables for easier understanding. An important finding from the surveys is that children who have been sexually abused over the age of 6 have higher rates of PTSD and also higher rates than children who have been diagnosed with PTSD but have not been sexually abused. Surely, several factors such as gender, age, and frequency play a role in the development and comorbidity of mental disorders. Of course, as child sexual abuse is a sensitive and topical problem, further research is necessary as well as the development of a treatment focused on child sexual abuse.
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