Childhood Sexual Abuse and Brain Development: A Discussion of Associated Structural Changes and Negative Psychological Outcomes

Abstract

The effects of traumatic exposure have been researched for many years and studies have shown that the parts of the brain affected by sexually traumatic experiences in childhood are also linked to many physical and psychological problems, such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, somatic complaints and suicide. Neuroimaging studies have provided a breadth of evidence that childhood sexual abuse is related to structural changes in the brain. Taken together, childhood sexual abuse affects brain development, leading to differences in brain anatomy and functioning that have lifelong consequences for mental health. Several limitations of neuroimaging research on childhood sexual abuse are discussed, including a lack of refined and sensitive neuroimaging measures and problems interpreting results of structural imaged subjects with associated psychiatric conditions. Future, large‐scale studies are warranted to examine the type and severity of the sexual abuse and how each of the levels of childhood sexual abuse contributes to structural and functional changes. Furthermore, future studies are needed to control for comorbid psychiatric conditions in order to disentangle the effects of childhood sexual abuse from psychiatric conditions that damage brain development. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Childhood sexual abuse is linked to observable structural changes in the brain. These structural changes in the brain are associated with a myriad number of negative psychological effects. Research is limited in elucidating the role of childhood sexual abuse on brain development, as the bulk of the research has focused only broadly on child maltreatment.

The Review on the Correlation Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Relationship Satisfaction

“…According to Easton (2019), it demonstrated that early disclosure by CSA survivors would be effective in avoiding mental health problems, but only 8.2% of CSA survivors had early disclosure [9]. Most partners of CSA survivors gave very positive feedback after the survivors disclosed their CSA-related experiences, but a large proportion still gave negative feedback, accompanied by condemnation and stigmatization [10]. In addition, more than half of the partners who gave positive feedback were accompanied by condemnation, blaming, and stigmatization.…”

Emotional experiences (online talk) of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse and incest

“…According to the centre of expertise on CSA, there's been increasing awareness of CSA and its impact on survivors in the UK including a focus on mental health and behavioural outcomes (Walsh, Fortier & DiLillo,2010) as an adult's capacity to achieve stability has been linked to experiences of events in childhood (Fergusson & Mullen, 1999). This was strengthened by Edwards (2018) who posited that "CSA affects brain development, leading to differences in brain anatomy and functioning that have lifelong consequences for mental health" (p. 198). Similarly, in the qualitative study of the impact of CSA on both male and female victims, Denov (2004) emphasised on how CSA experiences has led to 'long-term' mental health problems such as 'depression', 'substance abuse', self-harm and other serious behavioural and social difficulties.…”

Child Sexual Abuse: Ethics and Evidence

“…These concerns are born out in Damyan Edwards' () review of empirical research on the link between CSA and structural brain abnormalities. Edwards provides a grounded assessment of the strengths and limitations of the field, beginning the review by carefully explaining the research demonstrating the relationship between early trauma and structural changes in the brain.…”