Everyone’s experiences of sexual assault are different, and so the impact of sexual violence will differ greatly between young women. Below is a list of some of the common effects of sexual violence.
Impact on Emotional Health
A young woman may feel:
- Isolated/alone
- Self-hatred
- Self-blame
- Shame
- Disbelief
- Humiliation
- Out of control
- General loss of self-esteem
- Dirty
- Fearful
- Disgust
- Sadness
- Numbness
- Emptiness
- Guilty
- Angry
Impact on Physical Health
- Self-mutilation
- Insomnia
- Excessive tiredness
- Eating issues
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Physical injury
- Contraction of sexually transmitted diseases
- Loss of ability to carry children
- Long term impacts in areas of reproductive and respiratory health
Impact on Mental Health
Sexual assault and abuse can have long-term impacts on the mental health of survivors also. Some of the common mental health issues for survivors include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Suicidality
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD
- Dissociative Disorders
Impact on Social Health
- Sexual abuse can tear families apart and may result in the young woman being isolated from her family
- Isolation from friends
- Homelessness
- Loss of trust in people and the world in general
- Difficulty forming healthy, trusting intimate relationships
- Difficulty in the expression of her sexuality
- Some young women may act out with violent and/or risk-taking behaviours
- Many young women also miss out on vital parts of their education as a result of abuse and its impacts
- The impact of sexual violence on the physical and emotional health of a young woman may mean that she is unable to participate in the workforce
- Loss of meaning or purpose in life
- Difficulty planning or imagining a future
The differences in the effects of sexual violence will depend on a number of variables. Some of these include:
- Who the perpetrator is in relation to the young woman eg. Stranger, school friend, boyfriend, acquaintance, father, step-father, uncle, brother, mother
- The age of the young woman/child when the abuse occurred
- The duration of the abuse
- The severity of the abuse
- The frequency of the abuse
- The appropriateness of the response to the young woman/child when she first discloses the violence
- The presence of a non-offending primary care-giver in the young woman’s life who is understanding, caring and supportive
- The number of other supports available to the young woman
- Other trauma and distress in the young woman’s life.