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A key premise of trauma-informed approaches is pivoting from "viewing students" undesirable behaviors as inherently bad or oppositional toward viewing each student as having been affected in some way by their experiences.

An example is when a student is not behaving in accordance with school expectations, a teacher might ask "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?"

In this way, trauma-informed approaches promote "compassionate instruction and discipline" to provide students with among other things, empowerment, unconditional positive regard, high expectations, and opportunities for helpful participation (Wolpow et al., 2009)

Trauma-informed educational approaches give particular attention to trauma that occurs during childhood since research has shown that "childhood trauma can negatively affect a students' capacity for self-regulation, organization, comprehension, and memorization (Wolpow et al., 2009), affecting students academically and socially throughout their schooling experiences" (Thomas et.al, 2019, p. 423).

The ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences), which in many ways, launched trauma-informed education, located the various ways childhood traumas contributed to later life outcomes by examining the connections between variables such as experiencing or witnessing violence in the home and later outcomes related to health education and economics (Felitte et al., 1998).

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In as many as 93 percent of child sexual cases, the child knows the person that commits the abuse. [xiv]

Males made up almost 88% of perpetrators [xv]

60% of children who are sexually abused do not disclose[xvi] [xvii] [xviii]

Up to  50% of child sexual abuse cases are perpetrated by someone younger than 18 years old[xix]

12 – 24% of sex offenders are known re-offenders [xx]

Most are acquaintances but as many as 47% are family or extended family.[xxi]

Juveniles make up 20% of those arrested for sex offenses [xxii]

The 5-year sexual recidivism rate for high-risk sex offenders is 22% from the time of release, and decreases for this risk level to 4.2% for those who have remained offense-free in the community for 10 years. The recidivism rates of the low-risk offenders are consistently low (1%-5%) for all time periods. [xxiii]

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The impact of sexual abuse does not end when the abuse ends. Survivors of sexual abuse are at significantly greater risks for severe and chronic mental health issues, including alcoholism, depression, anxiety, PTSD and high risk behaviors.

One in 10 children will experience contact sexual abuse in the U.S. before age 18[iii]

More than 50% of sex abuse survivors were sexually abused before the age of 12.[iv]

One in 25 children (10-17) will receive an online sexual solicitation[v]

Of substantiated reports of child maltreatment in the US, 9% were unique survivors of sexual abuse[vi]

The average age for a minor to enter the sex trade is 12 – 14.[vii]

Globally, prevalence rates show that a range of 7-36% of women and 3-29% of men experience sexual abuse in childhood.[viii]

More than one-third (35.2%) of the women who reported a completed rape before the age of 18 also experienced a completed rape as an adult, Thus, the percentage of women who were raped as children or adolescents and also raped as adults was more than two times higher than the percentage among women without an early rape history. [ix]

42.2% girls experiencing their first completed rape did so before the age of 18 (29.9% between 11-17 years old and 12.3% at or before age 10) [x]

Over one-quarter of male victims of completed rape experienced their first rape at or before the age of 10. [viii]

Children with disabilities are 2.9 times more likely than children without disabilities to be sexually abused.[xi]

Children with intellectual and mental health disabilities appear to be the most at risk, with 4.6 times the risk of sexual abuse as their peers without disabilities.[xii]

At least 31% of girls and 7% of boys involved in the juvenile justice system have been sexually abused.[xiii]

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The Scope of Child Sexual Abuse

Understanding how to prevent child sexual abuse begins with understanding what child sex abuse is. When parents, caregivers, treatment providers, child protection professionals and all adults in a position to protect a child keep informed about the facts related to sex abuse, then stepping up to take a protective action becomes easier and better defined.

Defining Child Sexual Abuse
If you are not exactly sure what sexual abuse is, you’re not alone. To help identify abuse, identifying behaviors that are abusive can help determine what sex abuse is. Sex abuse does include both Touching and Non-Touching Behaviors

All sexual touching between an adult and a child is sexual abuse. Sexual touching between children can also be sexual abuse when there is a significant age difference (often defined as 3 or more years) between the children or if the children are very different developmentally or size-wise. Sexual abuse does not have to involve penetration, force, pain, or even touching. If an adult engages in any sexual behavior (looking, showing, or touching) with a child to meet the adult’s interest or sexual needs, it is sexual abuse.

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How can we empower survivors of sexual abuse? Listen | Yvonne Ellis | TEDxWandsworth

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Listen to this episode from The Books Insider on Spotify. "[Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry] are both capable, likable narrators who are sincerely engaged with their subject matter...The performances of these two humanitarians make this a must-hear for anyone recovering from their traumatic past."

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Childhood Trauma: What Every Teacher Needs to Know

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Additional Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse

Another legacy of sexual abuse is that children abused at any early age often become hyper-sexualized or sexually reactive. Issues with promiscuity and poor self-esteem are unfortunately common reactions to early sexual abuse.

Substance abuse is another common outcome of sexual abuse. In fact, according to the AAETS, “specialists in the addiction field (alcohol, drugs and eating disorders) estimate that up to 90 percent of their patients have a known history of some form of abuse.”

Specific symptoms of sexual abuse

(from the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress)

Withdrawal and mistrust of adults

Suicidality

Difficulty relating to others except in sexual or seductive ways

Unusual interest in or avoidance of all things sexual or physical

Sleep problems, nightmares, fears of going to bed

Frequent accidents or self-injurious behaviors

Refusal to go to school, or to the doctor, or home

Secretiveness or unusual aggressiveness

Sexual components to drawings and games

Neurotic reactions (obsessions, compulsiveness, phobias)

Habit disorders (biting, rocking)

Unusual sexual knowledge or behavior

Prostitution

Forcing sexual acts on other children

Extreme fear of being touched

Unwillingness to submit to physical examination

Studies have shown that children who experience sexual abuse tend to recover quicker and with better results if they have a supportive, caring adult (ideally a parent) consistently in their life.

It’s crucial for every victim of sexual abuse to seek counseling to decrease or to prevent PTSD symptoms. Since 35% of child sexual abusers were once abused (and the number is higher in males), counseling might also help to reduce the possibility of a victim repeating the abusive pattern.

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Sexual Abuse and the African American Community:

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How to begin the healing process after child sexual abuse

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The traumatic affects of childhood sexual abuse can remain and recur throughout life for women who have not healed emotionally. This book by a family therapist shares stories from 18 women abused as children, explaining that healing can occur at any stage of life, and that healing, itself, occurs in stages. The author offers guidance to recognize the long-lingering potential affects of childhood sexual abuse including depression, anxiety, dissociation, and chronic shock, and she explains steps to take for recovery. Also presented are letters from women who have healed or are in recovery.

Sexual abuse by men, juveniles, and female perpetrators is discussed, as is how children may act out the abusive behavior taught by perpetrators. The incidence of abuse by family members is also addressed. Duncan explains the dual dilemma―moral and legal―that women face in exposing a sexual perpetrator within the family when not protected by the legal system due to statutes of limitations. She also discusses controversial topics including false memory and disclosure of memory to the perpetrator.

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Healing from the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Journey for Women

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Healing from the Trauma of Childhood Sexual Abuse: The Journey for Women: Duncan, Karen A.: 9780313363214: Books

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People recover from child sexual abuse every day but most require treatment for child sexual abuse. Unfortunately, most won't receive sexual abuse therapy until they are adults, as only about 30% of child sexual abuse is reported by children. Nevertheless, there is treatment for child sexual abuse available for both children and adult survivors of sexual abuse.

Stages of Sexual Abuse Recovery

It is recognized by mental health professionals that there are stages to sexual abuse recovery. While people may jump from stage to stage and not necessarily process things neatly in discrete stages, there are basically three steps to sexual abuse therapy and recovery. These steps are experienced somewhat differently by children and adults.

Goals and Basic Safety

1. Get a "roadmap" of treatment and set goals

2. Establish safety within one's body and life

3. Tapping into one's inner strength and other supports for healing

4. Learning how to manage sexual abuse symptoms

Stage one is not about processing memories of the sexual abuse but rather preparing the person and strengthening her (or him) to the point where she will be able to process those memories.

Remembrance and Mourning

1. Reviewing and discussing memories to lessen their impact

2. Working through the grief about the abuse and the negative effects it has had on one's life

Sexual abuse therapy, at this stage, is often eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) or prolonged exposure (PE). (More about these therapies below.)

Reconnecting
Reconnecting with people, activities and other meaningful aspects of life

Types of Sexual Abuse Therapy

There are several types of sexual abuse therapy and many therapists incorporate components from multiple types. For children and adolescents, three general types of therapy are common:

Family therapy - needed in many cases but young children particularly require the intense participation of the caregivers.

Group therapy - more common for adolescents who are more independent

Individual therapy

The type of treatment of sexual abuse chosen and the specifics of what will happen in that therapy depends on many factors including the age of the victim and the type and severity of the sexual abuse. Art therapy is commonly used with young children who have trouble expressing what happened directly.

For adults, those three types of sexual abuse therapy are also options but there may be specific therapies applied on top of those general types. The therapies for sexual abuse most well-studied include:

Dialectic behavioral therapy (DBT) - designed to help people that are having problems regulating emotions and with self-destructive tendencies - common in people who have been sexually abused.

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) - involves the rapid reprocessing of traumatic memories to reduce their influence, without the in-depth discussion seen in other types of therapy.

Prolonged exposure (PE) - involves the detailed narration of sexual abuse events in a safe setting in order to fully incorporate new ways of thinking about the memories and realizing the old events can no longer hurt the victim.

No matter the chosen therapy, sexual abuse recovery is possible at any age.
article references

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Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Abuse Recovery

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People recover from child sexual abuse every day but most require treatment for child sexual abuse. Unfortunately, most won't receive sexual abuse therapy until they are adults, as only about 30% of child sexual abuse is reported by children. Nevertheless, there is treatment for child sexual abuse available for both children and adult survivors of sexual abuse.

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***Trigger Warning: this article will address childhood sexual abuse and may not be suitable for all audiences.***

As our readers know by now, CPTSD Foundation is not afraid to tackle tough subjects that have for too long been considered taboo. This month's articles will be about childhood sexual abuse and the recovery process to achieve a healthy and happy adult life.

This article will concentrate on what childhood sexual abuse is and how it relates to complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD).

Childhood Sexual Abuse, the Hidden Epidemic

It is simply human nature that no one wants to admit that children can and are sexually abused. After all, to admit that children are mistreated in such heinous ways makes us feel heartsick.

However, child sexual abuse does occur, and it leaves scars that will last a lifetime.

The only way to defeat childhood sexual abuse is to bring it out into the open, where it can be clearly seen (David et al., 2016).

What is Childhood Sexual Abuse?

The definition may seem a no-brainer to those in the know, but even those who have experienced sexual childhood trauma may have a narrow idea of what it is, and this can be a problem. Not understanding what childhood sexual abuse is can harm people because they do not understand that what they experienced was indeed abuse and not normal.

There are three types of sexual abuse of a child, contact, non-contact, and online.

Contact sexual abuse happens when an abuser makes physical contact with a child, including:

Touching the child in a sexual manner anywhere on the child's body, whether the child is dressed or not

Using a part of the or an object to penetrate a child

Making a child undress

Making a child touch another person, including other children

Forcing a child to do sexual activities

Touching, kissing, or oral sex with a child (sexual abuse does not need to be penetrative.)

Non-contact abuse means a child is abused without being physically touched by an abuser. This includes in-person and online. Non-contact sexual abuse includes:

Exposing of genitalia to a child

Exposing breasts to a child

Showing a child pornography

Making a child watch sexual acts

Making a child masturbate

Forcing a child to make or view sexual images or videos

The distribution of images or videos of a child pornography

Forcing a child to carry out sexual conversations or activities online

Remember, a child is an innocent victim in all the above circumstances as they have no control over what an adult will do. They cannot get away or tell an adult no, so they are completely exonerated from any blame.

Who Sexually Abuses Children?

When child sexual abuse is mentioned, many people have an image in their minds of a deviant man dressed in ragged clothes with no job or living in the backwoods.

This description is wrong.

Child sexual abusers look like everyone else, often hold high-esteem jobs, and can be women. Sexual abusers cross all demographic lines, including income, race, sex, and where they live.

30-40% of child sexual abuse victims are abused by a close family member rather than a stranger, with 50% of victims being harmed by someone outside the family that the family knows and trusts, such as a pastor or a boy scout leader.

About 40% of child sexual abuse victims are abused by older or larger children that they know, with 50% of these children being under the age of 12.

The list of those who can and do sexually abuse children is long, with siblings, mothers, fathers, grandparents, teachers, and social leaders having been caught in the past doing just that.

The Chilling Statistics of Childhood Sexual Abuse

The statistics of the number of children who are sexually abused before the age of 18 are staggering.

1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused

1 in 5 children are solicited for sex on the internet

Nearly 70% of all assault (this includes adults) happens to kids age 17 and under.

More than 20% of victims of childhood sexual abuse are the age of 8 or under.

Many victims of childhood sexual abuse will never disclose their abuse to anyone else, choosing instead to keep the secret their abuser told them they had to keep.

Signs A Child Has Been or Is Currently Being Sexually Abused

As adults, we must be diligent in watching over our children and those of our neighbors. If we recognize the following signs in a child, it is time to immediately get help. Even if you are wrong, it is better to err on the side of caution.

Some physical signs of childhood sexual abuse include:

A child having a sexually transmitted infection

Signs of damage to the child's genital area such as unexplained bleeding, bruising,

or blood on sheets, clothing, or underwear.

Behavioral signs might include:

Knowledge of talk of sexual topics beyond the child's years

Not talking as much as usual

Acting like they are keeping a secret

Having developed a fear of being left alone with certain people

Being afraid to be away from the child's parents or caregivers (if it is a new behavior)

Sudden onset of thumb-sucking or bedwetting

Sexual behavior towards themselves of another child

Spending a lot of their time alone

Withdrawal from family and friends

Trying to avoid bathing or removing their clothes

Emotional signs of sexual abuse of a child are as follows:

Increased aggression or change in mood and personality

Decrease in confidence

Decrease in self-image

A change in eating habits

Excessive fear or worry

Stomach aches and headaches that cannot be unexplained

Decrease in interest in activities, friends, and schoolwork

Nightmares

Self-harming behaviors

(RAINN)

If you recognize any of these signs in a child, please, do not hesitate to act.

If you recognize these signs from your childhood, chances are you were sexually abused as a child.

Ongoing Childhood Sexual Abuse and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) forms in response to chronic traumatization over months or years. Sexual abuse of a child that is repeated and where the victim feels they cannot escape is often the trigger for CPTSD.

Those children who go through childhood sexual abuse when the brain is still developing and are just beginning to form who they are as a person can cause the child's entire neurological and psychological development to be arrested.

Along with the sexual abuse, child victims may also suffer from neglect where they experience mixed affections from the perpetrator, thus forming a disorganized attachment disorder from the mixed messages they receive.

Adults who were sexually abused as children often grow up with symptoms that frequently interrupt day-to-day life. Emotional dysregulation is the primary culprit as survivors of childhood abuse who formed CPTSD have a horrible time with emotions, both experiencing and controlling them.

Many other victims of childhood sexual abuse and CPSD have persistent sadness, anger, and suicidal thoughts. It is common for survivors to re-experience their emotions from childhood in emotional flashbacks, where they feel the emotions they felt as children but do not experience the sights, smells, or sounds.

CPTSD and childhood sexual abuse are intimately linked, but both can be treated, and someone living with them can excel in life.

There is Always Hope

Whether you are reading this piece because you have been abused or know someone who was, it is important to remember that life goes on after sexual abuse.

You are NOT damaged goods, and your history does not define your present or your future.

Never, ever give up on yourself or someone you know who experienced childhood sexual abuse. There are hope and life afterward; I am a living example that this is true.

I was sexually abused when I was a child, from shortly after birth to 15, by a relative whom I loved very much. The things he did and the lack of parental recognition of what was going on locked me into a prison where I hid and pent up all my relative's activities and how I felt about it.

I have formed complex post-traumatic stress disorder and a few other mental health disorders that have hampered my life in the past.

Today, after treatment, I am beyond surviving; I am thriving. I enjoy my life and, while acknowledging my past, do not live there any longer. I am moving forward because I sought treatment as an adult.

I tell you my story so you can understand that you too can live a happy and contented life after childhood sexual abuse and despite CPTSD.

"THE GOOD LIFE requires that we take pleasure in new things; A GOOD LIFE requires that we take pleasure in moments.

To enjoy THE GOOD LIFE, we have to get ahead; to enjoy A GOOD LIFE, we have to make the trip worthwhile.

THE GOOD LIFE is not supported by feeding our pocketbooks; A GOOD LIFE is supported by feeding our souls." ~ Steve Goodier
References
David, O. Ezecki, A. Wapmuk, (2016). Child Sexual Abuse: The Hidden Epidemic. Nigerian Journal of Clinical & Biomedical Research. Vol. 7 No. 7: 6 - 15

Warning signs for young children. RAINN. Retrieved from: https://www.rainn.org/articles/warning-signs-young-children

If you are a survivor or someone who loves a survivor and cannot find a therapist who treats complex post-traumatic stress disorder, please contact the CPTSD Foundation. We have a staff of volunteers who have been compiling a list of providers who treat CPTSD. They would be happy to give you more ideas about where to look for and find a therapist to help you. Go to the contact us page and send us a note stating you need help, and our staff will respond quickly to your request.

Are you a therapist who treats CPTSD? Please, consider dropping us a line to add you to our growing list of providers. You would get aid in finding clients, and you would be helping someone find the peace they deserve. Go to the contact us page and send us a note, and our staff will respond quickly.

Shortly, CPTSD Foundation will have compiled a long list of providers who treat complex post-traumatic stress disorder. When it becomes available, we will be putting it on our website www.CPTSDFoundation.org.

Make sure to visit us and sign up for our weekly newsletter to help keep you informed on treatment options and much more for complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

If you or a loved one live in the despair and isolation that comes with complex post-traumatic stress disorder, please, come to us for help. CPTSD Foundation offers a wide range of services, including:

All our services are reasonably priced, and some are even free. So, to gain more insight into how complex post-traumatic stress disorder is altering your life and how you can overcome it, sign-up; we will be glad to help you. If you cannot afford to pay, go to www.cptsdfoundation.org/scholarship to apply for aid. We only wish to serve you.

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Childhood Sexual Abuse and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

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Trigger Warning: this article will address childhood sexual abuse and may not be suitable for all audiences.*** As our readers know by now, CPTSD Foundation is not afraid to tackle tough subjects that have for too long been considered taboo.

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No Secrets, No Lies: How Black Families Can Heal From Sexual Abuse by author and journalist Robin D. Stone is a resource guide for families seeking to understand, prevent and overcome childhood sexual abuse and its devastating impact on adult survivors.

Below, Stone shares 10 facts about sex abuse in the African-American community:

It's more common than you think: In surveys of adults, 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men report that they were sexually abused as a child.

It's a black thing, too: Many African Americans think that child sexual abuse is more typical among white people. Statistics show that blacks are sexually victimized in childhood at about the same rates as whites.

Near and present danger: Two-thirds of all victims of sexual assault reported to the police were under 18. In nearly 95 percent of the cases, the offender was a family member or acquaintance.

Rich or poor: Poverty, which contributes to violence in many communities, is not seen as a risk factor for child sexual abuse. Abuse is more likely to be reported among low-income families, but is virtually undetected in families whose money or status shield them from authorities.

Race matters: African-American women are less likely than white women to involve police in cases of child sexual abuse. Fears about betraying the family by turning abusers into "the system" and distrust of institutions and authorities often lead blacks to remain silent about "family business."

Boys are also abused: About 14 percent of all young victims of sexual assault are male, according to police reports. Twenty percent of sexual abuse of boys is committed by women. Among African Americans, homophobia perpetuates the denial of sexual abuse of boys.

Cause and effect: Black women report being more severely abused with greater force. They also report "more upset, greater long-term effects and more negative life experiences" from sexual abuse than white women. Among the effects: post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse (drug abuse), self-mutilation and more.

Young and troubled: Adolescents commit 23 percent of all sex offenses. Experts say young abusers are more responsive to treatment than adults.

Prolific predators: Child sex offenders tend to victimize more often than other sexual offenders. Seventy percent of child sex offenders had between one and nine victims; 23 percent between 10 and 40 victims.

Quiet as it's kept: Child sexual abusers operate in silence and isolation, the tools they use to target and control their prey. Few tend to be violent, which makes them difficult to catch and thwart.

Click the link to purchase the book No Secrets, No Lies: How Black Families Can Heal From Sexual Abuse by author, journalist and abuse survivor Robin Stone. Robin D. Stone is a former executive with Essence Magazine, Boston Globe and New York Times. In this book, Stone has covered every possible aspect and cause of sexual abuse. She accurately discusses the reasons and terrifying consequences that are plaguing numerous African-American families that have suffered from sexual assault. The powerful resource guide seeks to assist families to thoroughly understand, prevent and overcome the devastating impact of sexual abuse on adult survivors.

next: Black Undergraduate And White Undergraduate Eating Disorders And Related Attitudes
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~ all articles on eating disorders

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sexual abuse in the african-american community

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prevent and overcome childhood sexual abuse

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sex abuse in the african-american community

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Facts About Sexual Abuse in the African-American Community

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No Secrets, No Lies: How Black Families Can Heal From Sexual Abuse by author and journalist Robin D. Stone is a resource guide for families seeking to understand, prevent and overcome childhood sexual abuse and its devastating impact on adult survivors.