If you've been molested are there any recognizable traits?

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Request for Question Clarification by mvguy-ga on 11 Nov 2006 23:33 PST

Recognizable by whom?

Hi samdaman,

I think I understand your question as stated. You want to know if
people that are sexually abused in their childhood/preteen or young
formative years will consistently show "X" set of traits as an adult.
If you are asking because you are concerned about a loved one, I
applaud your sensitivity.

Yes, there are common threads, some of which I list below. The grup of
people collectively are called "adult survivors of child sexual
abuse".

Follow the links for more in depth information.

The major traits are:

~~Intimacy & Trust issues

~~Sexual difficulties manifesting in either being sexually cold/timid
or promiscuity

~~Likely to exhibit PTSD symptoms

~~Prone to depression

~~Will have self-esteem issues


Here are some links that will help you understand the reality of
living as an adult with a terrible childhood in your past--and the
long journey to wellness.

Information for Partners and Loved Ones of Survivors
http://www.havoca.org/Partners/partners%20introduction.htm 
[NOTE the list of helpful links at left on this link]
..."In the midst of this healing there has been one group that has
been overlooked - the partners and loved ones of the survivors.
For the purpose of this section partners are those who are in intimate
relationships with survivors i.e. lovers, husbands, wives, boyfriends,
and girlfriends.
If you fall into one of these categories then the chances are you are
dealing with the effects of abuse.  Survivors often have difficulties
with trust, sexual intimacy, commitment and much, much more.  You as
there [sic] partner will also be directly effected by these problems
and issues.
This section is intended to provide you with help and information
about ways in which you can help your partner but also help
yourself..."

Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Assault or Incest
http://www.rapecrisisbv.org/road_to_recovery.htm

Normal Marriage after Childhood Abuse
http://health.ivillage.com/mentalhealth/mhtrauma/0,,4m4v,00.html

Survivor to Thriver
http://www.ascasupport.org/2201a-sur-to-thr.htm
This 115 page manual describes the transformative journey from victim,
to survivor, to thriver.

I hope these links are what you were hoping to find. Please don't
hesitate to ask for clarification if my answer is off the mark..


~~Cynthia


Search terms used at Google:
"molested as a child" adult survivor

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Request for Answer Clarification by samdaman-ga on 13 Nov 2006 15:01 PST

What is PTSD? What does depression feel like?

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Clarification of Answer by cynthia-ga on 13 Nov 2006 22:34 PST

PTSD is an acronym (sorry) for "Post-traumatic stress disorder"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PTSD

Clinical Depression is a serious and debilitating medical condition.
Clinical depression is not just saying "I'm depressed" --it is not
being able to get out of bed because of feelings of hopelessness and
despair. Holding a job is out of the question with clinical
depression, although a sufferer might go IN to the depression With a
job, --without intervention they will eventually lose it. You also
lose the ability to feel happiness--for any reason. There's several
kinds of depression, so be sure to read the Wikipedia article closely
to fully understand.

Here's a couple pages with a "Depression Checklist"
http://www.necasaonline.org/images/customer-files/Other%20Related%20Issues/Depression-Checklist-052405.pdf
http://www.nmha.org/may/signs_depresssion_checklist.pdf

And the Wikipedia article is excellent as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_depression

Hope this helps. Do you need more references? If so please ask.

Thank you Cynthia

If a female has been seriously molested there may be evidence of
bruising or seminal stains which could wash away.

It is important to tell the police urgently if you intend to take action.

I think you may be asking if there are any traits that make you
recognizable. I think one is that you may appear kind of childlike.

Read under 'Statistics':
http://www.childhelpusa.org/resources/learning-center/statistics