Annotated Bibliography

1. Faust K.D. , Runyon J. , Kenny M.K. , Maureen C. (2002). Behavior Problems in Sexually Abused Children of Depressed Versus Non-depressed Mothers. Journal   

of Family Violence, 17(2), 107-116. 

The authors, researchers at Nova Southeastern University Center for Psychological Studies, use information from the Beck Depression Inventory, Children Depression Inventory, and the Revised Children Manifest Anxiety Scale to test their hypothesis that depressed mothers report more difficulties in their behavior for their sexually abused children than would non-depressed mothers. The main purpose of this study is to determine whether children psychological adjustment following sexual abuse is impacted by environmental variables such as maternal depression. Participants were 58 children (and their mothers) who were referred for trauma symptoms related to sexual abuse.  Results reveal that depressed mothers reported more conduct problems, inattention/immaturity, and psychotic behavior than did non-depressed mothers. The children of depressed mothers reported increased levels of depression, but not anxiety, when compared with children of non-depressed mothers. Although both groups of mothers reported symptoms to be clinically significant, the children did not endorse their symptoms in clinically significant ranges. This information provides facts that sexual abuse has an impact on  victims throughout their lives.

2.Tyler, K. A. (2002) Social and emotional outcomes of childhood sexual abuse: A review of  recent research. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 7 (6) p.567-589

The author, researcher at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Sociology, used data from 41 articles examining the social outcomes of childhood sexual abuse. Tyler concluded that some of the after affects of sexually abused children included suicide and substance use, gang affiliation, pregnancy, running away, post-traumatic stress disorder, risky sexual behavior, and behavioral problems. Some studies found differences in outcome according to gender, race, and age. Although findings related to abuse characteristics were found to vary from study to study, severity of the abuse, use of force, and victim's relationship to the perpetrator were found to be especially important. Other factors, such as family support and parental monitoring, were found to also attribute to a negative outcome. Factual information to back up my topic that childhood sexual abuse psychologically affects an individual.

3. Avery L. , Massat C. , & Lundy M. (2000). Post-traumatic Stress and Mental Health Functioning of Sexually Abused Children. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 17(1), p.19-34

The authors, researchers at the University of Southern Mississippi and Illinois at Chicago of Social Work, examined their hypothesis of the relationship between levels of post-traumatic stress and overall mental health functioning of 53 sexually abused children. Unlike numerous earlier studies, standardized instruments were used for data collection. Non-Offending Parents Project data analysis supported the hypothesis that the post traumatic stress level of children who have been sexually abused is associated with level of child mental health functioning. Nearly all the children in the study were experiencing a clinical level of post-traumatic stress. Child Assessment Schedule sub-scale areas which were related to post traumatic stress level included worries, physical complaints, moods, school functioning, family, and fears. This supports that children sexually abused are emotionally impacted as well.

4. Smith, M.J. (2008). Child sexual abuse: issues and challenges . Nova Science Publishers.

Actual statistics on child sexual abuse are hard to collect due to problems such as under-reporting and lack of one exact definition of abuse. However there is a general agreement that child sexual abuse is not uncommon that has become more widely aware because of the internet. In this book Smith presents significant research around the world including developmental consequences of childhood sexual abuse, criminal careers of Dutch Adolescent Sex Offenders, culture and the “hidden arm” in sexual abuse of pupils of teachers in Zimbabwe, those among other important issues she discusses throughout the book. This presents closest possible statistics about child sexual abuse.

5.Clancy, S.A. (2009). The trauma myth: the truth about the sexual abuse of children--and its aftermath. New York, Ny: Basic Books.

This book is based on interviews with adults all of whom were sexually abused as children. They were participants in a study at Harvard University between October 1996 through August 2005. Main topics in this book written by Clancy include the personality of the people who were abused, interpersonal dynamics they faced during the abuse and the after-math, and the multiple ways this crime affects them throughout their lifetime. Actual victims names, occupations, and such were substituted for different names to honor their confidentiality. This book contains information that proves children sexually abused without treatment are affected into their adulthood including their personality and relationships.

6.Rogers, A.G. (2006). The unsayable: the hidden language of trauma. New York: Random House

Annie Rogers with a Ph.D in clinical psychology for the past 20 years has learned to understand the silent language of girls who will not or cannot speak about past sexual abuse. Abuse is sometimes too painful to put into words but it does have a language though of coded signs and symptoms that conventional therapy fails to understand. In this book Rogers reveals how she has influenced many girls into finding expression and healing for past childhood sexual abuse. 

She starts off the book with her own account of sexual abuse as a child and how it has changed her. Through her experience and the help of French psychoanalyst Lacan and his theory of language she focuses on her assisting of a particular young female who admits of being sexually abused through non-verbal ways. This book points out nonverbal language sexually abused girls do and their of expressing behavior that can educate readers.

7. Gartner, R.B. (1999). Betrayed as boys: psychodynamic treatment of sexually abused men. New York, Ny: The Guilford Press.

Not often enough is their books or other sources discussing boys being sexually abused as children and the side effects. In this book Gartner focuses specifically on the experience of sexually victimized boys and men. Linking essential elements of psycho-dynamic and trauma-oriented clinical practice. This book contains how sexual betrayal affects boys, the ways they carry this into adulthood, and how therapists can deal with the adverse needs of men with sexual abuse histories. All doing so by exploring the impact of abuse on men emotional development, gender and sexual identity, and relationships including in-depth consideration of individual and group treatment issues. A variety of case examples informs readers on direct experience of these clients and the clinicians who work with them.This book links
sexual abuse stories of men withe the side affects of the trauma showing that child abuse occurs amongst boys not just girls.

8. Easton, S., Coohey, C., O'leary, P., Zhang, Y., & Hua, L. (2011). The Effect of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Psychosexual Functioning During Adulthood. Journal of Family Violence, 26(1), 41-50. doi:10.1007/ s10896-010-9340-6

The authors, researchers at the School of Social Work at the University of Iowa, School of Social Sciences at the University of Southampton,Department of Bio-statistics, College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, and the Center for Bio-statistics in AIDS Research, Harvard School of Public Health, tested their hypothesis of how childhood sexual abuse influences three elements of psycho-sexual functioning including emotional, behavioral, and evaluative during adulthood. Fear of sex and guilt during sex contained the emotional dimension of the test, sexual satisfaction was tested for the evaluative dimension, and problems with touch and sexual arousal consisted of the evaluative portion of it. The test contained 165 adults who were abused sexually as children and of those the results were that the victims who reported their abuse, who were abused first, abused by a family member or abused by more than one abuser were highly probable to encounter problems with psycho-sexual functioning in at least one area. Younger children who reported the abuse were less seemingly to fear sex and have problems with touch during adulthood compared to older children. Factual information how childhood sexual abuse impacts adults sexual life.

9.Gudjonsson, G., Sveinsdottir, T., Sigurdsson, J., & Jonsdottir, J. (2010). The ability of suspected victims of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to give evidence. Findings from the Children's House in Iceland. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 21(4), 569-586. doi: 10.1080/14789940903540784

The authors, researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, University Hospital in Iceland, and the School of Health Sciences at the University of Iceland, central intent int this study was to better understand the age-related alterations in children ability during questioning to give an account of assumed sexual abuse. The data that helped their hypothesis was the video recordings of 285 interviews involved by police and judges to the Children's House in Reykjavik over a five-year period were studied. Children between the ages of 3½-5 years of age, and almost all of the older children, had the capability to give testimony even though there was high differences in their response to open-ended questions about the suspected abuse, understanding of why they were being interviewed, ability to sustain concentration during the investigation among a few other things. The results show that the Child Advocacy Model principles and protocol used in the Children House for interviewing children is being used effectively in Iceland.