For over three decades, Attorney Paul Mones has dedicated his practice to representing adult victims of child sexual abuse and sexually abused children. Over the years, he has closely monitored emerging medical and psychological research concerning the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse to ensure he understands the full-range of issues survivors face and is able to use that information to maximize the compensation his clients are eligible for. 

The survivors our firm works with are often shocked to discover that certain health and psychological problems they are currently dealing with may be linked to sexual abuse they endured as children. This realization can be both frustrating and liberating because it can answer lingering questions, but it also highlights just how heinous childhood sexual abuse is. 

This page provides a summary of common medical and psychological issues that have been linked to childhood sexual abuse. As attorneys, we explore these issues through a legal lens, with the goal of maximizing the compensation our clients can receive. 

Mental Health Caused by Childhood Sexual Abuse

Childhood sexual abuse is associated with numerous mental health issues, which may develop immediately or over a longer period of time. 

“The primary psychological impacts of sexual abuse are thought to occur in at least three stages: 

(1) initial reactions to victimization, involving posttraumatic stress, disruptions of normal psychological development, painful emotions, and cognitive distortions; 

(2) accommodation to ongoing abuse, involving coping behaviors intended to increase safety and/or decrease pain during victimization; and 

(3) the more long-term consequences, reflecting the impacts of initial reactions and abuse related accommodations on the individual’s ongoing psychological development and personality formation.”1 

Digging into the research on long-term impacts is critical because it can often take years for survivors to realize they were abused. “Two studies suggest that adults in psychotherapy quite commonly report some period in their lives when they had incomplete or absent memories of their childhood abuse. Herman and Schatzow found that 64% of 53 women undergoing group therapy for sexual abuse trauma had some period of time prior to treatment when they had incomplete or absent memories of their molestation. Among 450 men and women in psychotherapy to deal with abuse-related difficulties, 59% reported having had some period before age 18 when they had no memory of being abused. In both of these studies, self-reported abuse-related amnesia was associated with more severe and extensive abuse that occurred at a relatively earlier age.”2

Depression 

Depression is the most common mental health issue identified by survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Researchers have determined “child victims in outpatient therapy were more than four times as likely to have received a diagnosis of major depression than were non-abused patients.”3

Anxiety 

“Elevated anxiety has been documented in child victims of sexual abuse, as well as in adults who were molested as children. …[S]urvivors are more likely than nonabused individuals to meet the criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, panic disorder, and/or obsessive compulsive disorder, with sexual abuse survivors having up to five times greater likelihood of being diagnosed with at least one anxiety disorder than their nonabused peers.”4

This is not surprising considering victims of abuse are often targeted by predators in positions of trust, such as teachers, religious leaders, and coaches. Because of this, Paul Mones and the other attorneys at our firm work hard to be the sort of people that you can rely on and gradually learn to trust even if trusting others is hard for you.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Advocating on behalf of childhood sexual abuse survivors for the past few decades has given Attorney Paul Mones a deep appreciation for courage and strength it takes for survivors to come forward. He and the other members of our experienced, compassionate team do the best we can to put survivors at ease and allow them to tell their story at their own pace to reduce the risk of triggering a PTSD response.

“Although most child sexual abuse victims do not meet the full diagnostic criteria for PTSD, more than 80% are reported to have some posttraumatic symptoms. Especially prominent for adult survivors are PTSD related flashbacks—sudden, intrusive sensory experiences, often involving visual, auditory, olfactory, and/or tactile sensations reminiscent of the original assault, experienced as though they were occurring in the present rather than as a memory of a past event.”5

“Other PTSD symptoms involve repetitive, intrusive thoughts and/or memories of childhood sexual victimization—difficulties that many survivors of sexual abuse find both distressing and disruptive. These differ from flashbacks in that they are thoughts and recollections rather than sensory experiences. Typically, intrusive thoughts center around themes of danger, humiliation, spontaneous sexual contact, guilt, and “badness,” whereas intrusive memories involve unexpected recall of specific abusive events. Nightmares with violent abuse-related themes are also commonly associated with sexual abuse-related PTSD.”6

Unfortunately, describing and discussing abuse is not the only PTSD trigger survivors must be aware of. Other common triggers include “sexual stimuli or interactions, abusive behavior by other adults, and reading or seeing sexual or violent media depictions.”7

Social & Emotional Health Problems Caused by Childhood Sexual Abuse

Being sexually abused by someone you trusted can alter your entire world view, and destroy your sense of self. This can have serious, long-lasting impacts on your ability to develop relationships with others, and lead to self-destructive behavior. 

Distorted Self-Perception  

Children are constant learners. Each observation and experience becomes part of who they are, and helps to shape who they will become. When a child is abused, they learn the world is a cruel place where people they love and trust may hurt them. Or they may turn their distrust and disgust with the world inward, and assume their life is not one that should be cherished or valued. 

“A variety of studies document chronic self-perceptions of helplessness and hopelessness, impaired trust, self-blame, and low self-esteem in abused children. These cognitive alterations often continue on into adolescence and adulthood… Such problems, in turn, are associated with subsequent psychosocial difficulties, including increased suggestibility or gullibility, inadequate self protectiveness, and a greater likelihood of being victimized or exploited by others.”8 “Childhood sexual abuse survivors are also at an increased risk for revictimization.”9

For some survivors, the bad luck and negative self-perceptions that have plagued them their entire life can be traced back to the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. Our team has experience making this argument, and we do not hesitate to do so when appropriate. 

Engaging In Risky Behavior 

Survivors are often shocked to realize addictions and self-destructive behavior are tied to the abuse they endured as a child and the pain it has caused. Our team works with medical professionals to document this link, and get our clients the compensation they need to seek treatment. 

“Compared with nonabused adults, those who experienced childhood abuse are more likely to engage in high-risk health behaviors including smoking, alcohol and drug use, and unsafe sex…”10 “In each instance, the problem behavior may represent a conscious or unconscious choice to be involved in seemingly dysfunctional and/or self-destructive behaviors rather than fully experience the considerable pain of abuse-specific awareness.”11

Eating disorders and self-mutilation can also be tied to past sexual abuse. “Often these activities are seen as ‘acting-out,’ ‘impulsivity,’ or, most recently, as arising from ‘addictions.’ For the abuse survivor, however, such behaviors may best be understood as problem solving behaviors in the face of extreme abuse-related dysphoria.”12

These are not problems that simply disappear over time. They are foundational characteristics that impact one’s entire life, and may require extensive therapy to work through. They are therefore critical to address in any litigation over childhood sexual abuse.

Relationship Issues & Sexual Dysfunction 

Many survivors have difficulty developing meaningful relationships with others. Research shows that “[s]exual abuse survivors typically report having fewer friends, less interpersonal trust, less satisfaction in their relationships, more maladaptive interpersonal patterns, and greater discomfort, isolation, and interpersonal sensitivity.”13 Once again, this is something that impacts every aspect of a survivor’s life, but that few people might suspect stems from childhood sexual abuse. 

Much of the research on this particular challenge faced by survivors focuses on relationships with romantic partners. Studies suggest “[Survivors] are more likely to remain single and, once married, are more likely to divorce or separate from their spouses than are those without sexual abuse histories.”14

“Adults who were sexually abused as children are particularly likely to report difficulties with sexual intimacy. Such problems may present as: 

(1) sexual dysfunction related to fears of vulnerability and revictimization, 

(2) …a tendency to be dependent upon or to overidealize those with whom they form close relationships, and 

(3) …a history of multiple, superficial, or brief sexual relationships that quickly end as intimacy develops.”15

Physical Health Caused by Childhood Sexual Abuse

Many survivors assume that any physical harm associated with the abuse they endured would occur at the same time as the abuse itself. However, numerous physical ailments that linger past childhood, or may develop later in life, are also associated with childhood sexual abuse. 

Heart Health

Research on the health of childhood sexual abuse survivors suggests that adults who were victimized as children are are more likely to “experience chest pain, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, and ischemic heart disease as well as overall poorer cardiopulmonary health.”16

The link between childhood sexual abuse and heart health is unexpected but clearly indicated, which is a good reminder of the importance of working with an attorney that keeps up with the medical literature in this area. Attorney Paul Mones and the rest of our team pay close attention to new studies and developments so we can get our clients the kind of compensation they deserve for the harm caused to them. 

Gastrointestinal Illnesses 

Gastrointestinal illnesses are another area where the link between sexual abuse and long-term health issues would not be apparent without consulting medical research. However, “several studies have suggested that among primary care patients, individuals with a history of [childholdd sexual abuse] are more likely to report experiencing GI symptoms than patients without CSA history.”17 Survivors are significantly more likely (1.7 times to be exact18) to be diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome than the general population.19 

Obesity

While there are many causes of obesity, adults who were sexually abused as children, and women in particular, are at higher risk of developing this problem than the general population.20

Gynecological Health 

Female survivors of childhood sexual abuse face additional challenges. “Compared with their nonabused peers, survivors of sexual abuse are at greater risk for unintended and terminated pregnancies…”21 Survivors may also be at a higher risk of contracting a sexually transmitted infection,22 or developing chronic pelvic pain (CPP).23

Why We Care About Long-Term Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse 

Increased media coverage and shifting public opinion about the role organizations like schools, religious groups, and youth organizations play when it comes to protecting kids from sexual abuse has raised public awareness about the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in our society. But hard data on the number of adults who admit to being abused as children is still staggering. 

“Nonclinical samples of adults in the United States and internationally show self-reported childhood sexual abuse rates of 3% to 29% in men and 7% to 36% in women. In primary care settings, physical or sexual abuse in childhood is reported by approximately 20% to 50% of adults.”24

As attorneys, we look at this data and see people who deserve justice and need our help getting it. Much of the government’s focus in this area is on punishment and deterrence. Criminal convictions will put abusers behind bars, and may dissuade potential abusers from acting on their urges, but focusing on criminal convictions alone ignores the needs of victim-survivors. It is in the civil courts that survivors can find relief, and that is where Attorney Paul Mones and the rest of our experienced team focus their efforts. 

The goal of the civil justice system is to put victims in as close to the position they would have been in if they had never been harmed. The primary tool for doing so is financial compensation through the civil justice system. In childhood sexual abuse cases, the courts are given the arduous task of putting a price on the impacts of abuse. 

When damages are calculated, the long-term effects of abuse must be included. Attorney Paul Mones and the other members of our firm push the courts to consider long-term impacts of abuse by introducing research like that outlined above, and working with medical experts who can provide evidence of long-term impacts on our clients, and estimate the cost of future treatment. 

With compensation in hand, and new knowledge about the link between childhood sexual abuse and long-term medical issues, surviviors can seek and afford treatment they might otherwise be denied. 

The long-term effects of abuse are serious, but few are untreatable. However, survivors may not be getting the care they need. 

“If physicians caring for adults who suffer from a condition associated with abuse in childhood are unaware of [the] link [between abuse and a particular illness or issue], they will neither elicit an abuse history nor make appropriate patient referrals. This is especially troubling because conditions associated with childhood abuse are burdensome to both the patient and the health care system, relatively simple interventions may prove effective in alleviating much distress, only 2% to 5% of patients with a history of childhood sexual abuse will themselves report it to a physician, and managed care typically places the primary care physician as the gatekeeper controlling patient access to specialized services.”25

Educating survivors about research on the long-term impacts of abuse, and then empowering them to be their own healthcare advocates by getting them the funds they need to seek treatment is one of the most rewarding parts of our job. 

Childhood Sexual Abuse Experience You Can Trust

Beyond the medical impacts discussed above, many of the victim-survivors Attorney Paul Mones has worked with over the past thirty-five years have told him how difficult it is to trust that sharing their story and revealing their pain will do any good. Paul and the rest of our team understand this. We work hard every day to be the sort of people victim-survivors can learn to lean on, rely on, and trust as we bring their abusers to justice and seek the compensation survivors need to move forward. We relentlessly pursue abusers and the organizations and institutions that empowered them to get our clients the compensation they deserve. 

If you are a survivor, we want to hear your story and help you if at all possible. It does not matter how long ago the abuse occurred, what state you lived in at the time the abuse occurred, or where you live now. 

Even if you were previously told the abuse you endured occurred too long ago to do anything about, we want to hear about it. A recent change in California law in January of 2020 gives sexual abuse survivors a new window of opportunity to seek justice, and we are eager to help our fellow Golden State residents take advantage of it. But we aren’t stopping there. Attorney Paul Mones has litigated childhood sexual abuse cases nationwide, and will continue to do so as other states follow California’s lead and offer survivors a second chance to seek justice. 

If you or someone you know is dealing with the long-term impacts of abuse you are not alone. We are here to stand with you and fight for you. Filing a lawsuit is not going to erase your memories of abuse or the years of pain you have endured however, it can be for many a very empowering act. When you are ready to come forward and learn about your options, Paul and his team are ready to help.

Resources and Additional Information on Childhood Sexual Abuse

Long-term Physical Health Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Meta-Analytic Review, by Leah Irish, MA, Ihori Kobayashi, MA, and Douglas L. Delahanty, PHD, published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, and available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2910944/

The Long-term Health Outcomes of Childhood Abuse: An Overview and a Call to Action, by Kristen W Springer, MPH, MA, Jennifer Sheridan, PhD, Daphne Kuo, PhD, and Molly Carnes, MD, MS, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, and available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1494926/

Long-Term Outcomes of Childhood Sexual Abuse: An Umbrella Review, by Helen P Hailes, MSc, Rongqin Yu, PhD, Prof Andrea Danese, MD, and Prof Seena Fazel, MD, published in The Lancet, and available at https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30286-X/fulltext 

Immediate and Long-Term Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse, by John N. Briere and Diana M. Elliott, published in The Future of Children, and available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/1602523?seq=1 

Long-term Effects of Child Sexual Abuse, by Paul E. Mullen and Jillian Fleming, published by the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, and available at https://www.aaets.org/traumatic-stress-library/long-term-effects-of-child-sexual-abuse

Footnotes

  1.  Immediate and Long-Term Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse, by John N. Briere and Diana M. Elliott, published in The Future of Children, and available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/1602523?seq=1.
  2. Id.
  3. Id.
  4. Id.
  5. Id.
  6. Id.
  7. Id.
  8. Id.
  9. The Long-term Health Outcomes of Childhood Abuse: An Overview and a Call to Action, by Kristen W Springer, MPH, MA, Jennifer Sheridan, PhD, Daphne Kuo, PhD, and Molly Carnes, MD, MS, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, and available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1494926/.
  10. Id.
  11. Immediate and Long-Term Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse, by John N. Briere and Diana M. Elliott, published in The Future of Children, and available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/1602523?seq=1.
  12. Id.
  13. Id.
  14. Id.
  15. Id.
  16. Long-term Physical Health Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Meta-Analytic Review, by Leah Irish, MA, Ihori Kobayashi, MA, and Douglas L. Delahanty, PHD, published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, and available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2910944/.
  17. Id.
  18. Id.
  19. The Long-term Health Outcomes of Childhood Abuse: An Overview and a Call to Action, by Kristen W Springer, MPH, MA, Jennifer Sheridan, PhD, Daphne Kuo, PhD, and Molly Carnes, MD, MS, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, and available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1494926/.
  20. Id.
  21. Immediate and Long-Term Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse, by John N. Briere and Diana M. Elliott, published in The Future of Children, and available at https://www.jstor.org/stable/1602523?seq=1
  22. Id.
  23. Long-term Physical Health Consequences of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Meta-Analytic Review, by Leah Irish, MA, Ihori Kobayashi, MA, and Douglas L. Delahanty, PHD, published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, and available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2910944/.
  24. Id.
  25. Id.