Child Abuse – Molestation

by Leylina
(Denver, Colorado, USA)

When a child is sexually molested it interferes with their growth and development. Our brains are structured in three ways when we are growing up. The cortex is the outer surface, where higher thinking skills arise including the frontal cortex, the most recently evolved portion of the brain. The limbic system is the center of the brain where emotions evolves. The brain stem is the reptilian brain that controls basic survival functions. These observations indicate that trauma from sexual molestation can damage the frontal cortex, the limbic system (where emotion is) and one's brain stem where the survival instinct is located. This can lead to a person having social and learning problems. According to Trauma-Resources Center, "brain scans of people with relationship or developmental problems, learning problems and social problems related to emotional intelligence reveal similar structure and functional irregularities as is the case resulting from PTSD". One of the most interesting things about someone who is traumatized is the way they handle an upsetting situation. They can often overreact to something small and stress the issue more. One other way of knowing is how long it takes them to get over the dilemma. Another way is how tough the person took the situation and how much it affected them personally.

Molestation is one of the issues that takes major psychological tribulations on individuals. It leads to long-term problems and affects. Children need attention and love from their caretaker. However, when a child is molested they need care and attention from the other parent but that's not always the case. Some parents may deny the fact that their child is getting molested by their partner. It's a hard thing for them to accept, but what they don't realize is how much it is affecting that child psychologically and emotionally. It traumatizes them for life and as they become adults they would start to do bodily harm to themselves so that they are able to suppress their emotions. Research has proven that someone who is sexually molested and is traumatized is vulnerable to experiencing future traumatic responses. An adult who has been molested might have panic attacks towards their loved ones. They might become over protective that sometimes could lead to compulsive and obsessive behavior. Small things might bother someone with emotional problems because they are vulnerable and can't deal with criticism.

Interesting research that was conducted was an experiment on how the age of a child reflects on the child psychologically. It shows:

AGE:                              PERCENTAGE OF ALL CSA:
0-3 YEARS:               APPR. 10%
4-7 YEARS:               APPR. 28%
8-11 YEARS:             APPR. 26%
12 AND OLDER:          APPR. 36%

This research clearly indicates that as a child the older a child is the harder it is for them to deal with sexual molestation. When children are young they typically have a strong fear of being separated from their parents. "They might show behaviors of earlier development stages (regressive behavior) like thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, or they cannot sleep alone in their beds anymore (fear of darkness).

The emotional and psychological aspects have effects that are traumatizing and devastating to the extent that it interferes with the individual's ability to function in daily life.

Molestation is a serious matter and should be looked into more. The reason it gets overlooked is because the majority of the victims don't report the situation. In my opinion molestation is rape. It doesn't matter how old someone is, when someone gets sexually mistreated then it is considered rape. This scars a child emotionally and psychologically. No child deserves to go through that. The child develops low self-esteem and has social issues. They are not able to socialize with other kids and most of them become loners. They start having trust tribulations around others. They are afraid that some classmates might find out and make fun of them for it. It is embedded in their heads that it is their fault that it had happened and they believe that they should be punished for it when clearly it is not their fault. When the child becomes an adult their past never dies down so they intend on abusing alcohol and start harming their bodies because they are depressed.