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Child sexual abuse or child molestation is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. The aftereffects of child sexual abuse can include depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, propensity to future victimization, among numerous other problems experienced from childhood through adulthood. Sexual abuse by a family member is a form of incest, and can result in more serious and long-term psychological trauma.
The occurance of sexual abuse at a young age can result in both short-term and long-term harm, including psychopathology in later life. Indicators and effects include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, poor self-esteem, somatization, sleep disturbances, and dissociative and anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder. The strongest indicator of sexual abuse is sexual acting out and inappropriate sexual knowledge and interest. Victims may withdraw from school and social activities and exhibit various learning and behavioral problems including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder.
An association has been found between childhood sexual abuse and various adult psychopathologies, including crime and suicide, in addition to alcoholism and drug abuse. Teenage pregnancy and risky sexual behaviors may appear in adolescence. Child sexual abuse victims report almost four times as many incidences of self-inflicted harm. Children of victims of child sexual abuse also tend to exhibit more conduct problems, peer problems, and emotional problems than their peers.
Adults with a history of sexual abuse often present for treatment with a secondary mental health issue, which can include substance abuse, eating disorders, personality disorders, depression, and conflict in romantic or interpersonal relationships. Frequently, adult victims of childhood molestation do not make the connection between their past abuse and their present pathology.