Monday, November 5, 2018

Psychology 277 - Conceptual Journal #4


Observation and Description
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has long been a problem for children in the foster care system.  It has become one of those dark secrets plaguing the system already starved of resources necessary for the mental health survival of children.  What hasn’t always been linked to CSA has been the rise in incidence of risky sexual behavior common to children who suffered CSA.  I know that I personally have experience with this, being both a survivor of CSA and a teenager/20-something engaging in a lot of risky sexual behavior.  I was told that this wasn’t normal for a survivor, so when I read the study on “Childhood sexual abuse, sexual motives, and adolescent sexual risk-taking among males and females receiving child welfare services” (Werkerle, C., Goldstein, A. L., Tanaka, M., & Tonmyr., L. 2017. pp. 101-111), I felt vindicated. 

Conceptual Linkage
                The authors state, “This pattern of findings indicates that negative reinforcement motives in particular, including using sex to alleviate distress or negative mood, or avoid unpleasant social events, are associated with greater risk-taking.” (Werkerle, et. al., 2017, p. 103) In effect, the authors are stating that decreased access to mental health care (especially for those wards of the state for whom there is no funding for mental health care) leads to risky sexual behavior in adolescents who survive CSA.  I know that in my personal case, I used sex as a means to numb the empty mood I felt.  I would engage in sex with strangers and unprotected sex.  Prior to reading this study, I maintained that I was sexually liberal and free, when deep down, I know that the meaningless sex I had was less about empowerment and more about sex being the only way I knew how to cope with distress and negative moods.
While CSA in girls has been studied at great length, the authors noted that “Relative to female CSA, male victims are considerably under-attended, with research, services, and policy not adequately addressing the sexual abuse of young boys, as well as its link to a pattern of sexual health risk behaviors.” (2017. page 102) The authors go on to state, “experiencing CSA for males may not be as easily detected by child welfare workers as female CSA...” (2017, p. 107)  And furthered this discussion by stating, “As male youth age, gender norms and gender-based stereotypes for masculinity may add to stigma and shame associated with CSA, reducing the likelihood of disclosure at all…” (2017, p. 102) Two men very close to me were sexually assaulted. Neither of them wanted to disclose their assault to adult figures because of the deep shame they felt, because a “real man” would have been able to stop it. The authors maintain that CSA is difficult to see in males, that they are more likely to hide it from adults.  Knowing the men I know who were assaulted, I would emphatically agree.

Conceptual Insight for the Future
                “CSA has been identified as a critical global health, human rights, and humanitarian-related issue, with rates of self-reported CSA overall at 18% for girls and 7.6% for boys.” (2017. page 102) Since the birth of the #metoo movement, it has become more commonplace to talk about sexual assault, especially CSA.  Most of my friends have been sexually assaulted and many of us suffered from CSA.  What I knew anecdotally as truth, that most of us engaged in risky sexual behavior in the years following the end of our CSA, was argued as “not typical” by the adults we trusted with our disclosure.  In the study, the authors noted that “… many delay disclosing until many years after the termination of CSA.” (2017, page 2) If my friends reported at all, it was normally many years later.  I personally did not disclose until I was 12 (my CSA ended when I was 5). If only we had known then about how common CSA is and that survivors needed better mental health care to avoid the trappings of risky sexual behavior. 

References
Werkerle, C., Goldstein, A. L., Tanaka, M., & Tonmyr., L. (2017). Childhood sexual abuse, sexual motives, and adolescent sexual risk-taking among males and females receiving child welfare services. Child Abuse: The International Journal. 66 (2017) pp. 101-111



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Grade: 18/20
Professor comments: (all were relating to how I cited the paper)

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