Everyday children are suffering from being sexually abused in almost every place on earth. Statistics have shown that one in five girls and one in nine boys are sexually abused daily. With this, one may begin to wonder what are the long-term affects of such tragic childhood memory. Can it be linked to anger, depression, anxiety or even stress? Studies have shown that depression is a dominant characteristics for those children who have been abused in their past.
Child sex abuse is an unfortunate thing that happens more often and frequently than many of know. In one study of the effects of child sex abuse they found that "With estimates of lifetime prevalence converging on 16.8% for women and 7.9% for men"(Gorey and Leslie, 1997). Researchers found that majority of the sexually abuser were people that the victim had a closer relationship, such as a dad, uncle, cousin, grandparent or aunt that also ending the worst outcomes. The most negative outcomes were father-daughter abuse relationships that have a longer duration and happen earlier. "Adverse outcomes for women exposed to child sex abuse range across several domains including depression, personality disturbance and substance abuse"(Fergusson, Horwood, & Lynskey, 1996) .
Another theory of researches about child sex abuse is that it increases the chances of substance abuse, and the development of mood disorders. "Individuals who have experienced abuse of neglect in childhood are 1.3-3.1 times more likely to experience lifetime major depressive disorder."(Kendler et Al., 2000: Widom, DuMont, & Czaja, 2007). Researchers also believe that the dependence of alcohol or other substances are higher in the people with child sex abuse than those who have went without being sexually abused as a child. "Smoking and depressive disorders frequently co-occur. Studies show that individuals with current diagnoses, prevalence of smoking ranges from 38% to 46%" (Lasser et Al.
