Childhood victimization: Desensitization effects in the later lifespan

Abstract

The hypothesis tested in this study was that young adults who report having been abused by parents or guardians as children would report less concern when confronted with hypothetical situations similar to the type of abuse they had reportedly experienced during childhood. In our study of nonclinical adults those who reported childhood victimization experiences showed diminished concern toward the specific kind of abuse situation encountered earlier in their lifespan.

The Impact of Observer Characteristics on Blame Assessments of Prostituted Female Youth

“…Even with knowledge about victimization, participants who increasingly adhered to prostitution myths continued to blame the prostituted youth for her circumstances. These findings also support conclusions by Ginsburg et al (1989) and Muller et al (1993) where subjects with physical abuse histories reported increased levels of blame directed toward similar victims (Ginsburg et al, 1989; Muller et al, 1993). It may also be that observers with experiences of childhood physical abuse viewed themselves as too dissimilar from the prostituted youth depicted in the vignette, and thus attributed increased levels of blameworthiness to her, even though she too experienced significant abuse in her family-of-origin.…”

“…Thus, questions remain as to whether observers with physical abuse histories would blame prostituted youth for their circumstances. Two analyses have examined the relationship between observer childhood physical abuse and subsequent blame toward physical abuse victims (Ginsburg, Wright, Harrell, & Hill, 1989; Muller, Caldwell, & Hunter, 1993). Individuals with greater perceived similarity to child abuse victims were more likely to blame children for their abuse (Muller et al, 1993).…”

“…Moreover, observers with physical abuse histories attributed greater blame toward victims of child physical abuse and toward victims of sexual assault when compared with non-abused observers (Muller et al, 1993). In addition, Ginsburg and colleagues (1989) examined whether experiences of childhood physical or sexual abuse would augment or diminish concern toward a depicted victim of similar abuse. Results revealed that participants with childhood physical abuse histories reported less concern for victims of physical abuse compared with non-physically abused counterparts.…”

The Influence of Rape Myth Acceptance on Self-Reported Perceptions of Prostitution and Human Trafficking Among College Students

“…Additionally, victims of childhood sexual abuse report less sympathy for physical and sexual abuse victims, as individuals who were sexually victimized in childhood were more likely to also be physically victimized (Franklin & Menaker, 2014;Ginsburg, Wright, Harrell & Hill, 1989). …”

“…indicates that victims of childhood sexual abuse report less sympathy for sexual abuse victims and, thus, may perceive sex workers more through an offender-orientation (Franklin & Menaker, 2014;Ginsburg et al, 1989). …”