What treatments are available for childhood sexual abuse, and how do they compare?

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is frequent, with rates for significant abuse estimated at 15-20% of the female population and 8-10% of the male population. Such CSA frequently leads to significant short-term and long-term sequalae including a multitude of psychiatric conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and depression. However, treatment of CSA remains unclear, with even the most widely recommended types of treatment, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT), having not always been found to be statistically beneficial in some studies of adult survivors. Furthermore, treatment of children and youth has been even less well researched. Many types of treatment have been recommended, including CBT, TF-CBT, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), play therapy, art therapy, and pet therapy. The aim of this review is to examine the various treatments recommended for CSA to date, and determine whether one specific treatment or a combination of treatments, may be the most appropriate therapeutic approach for child and youth victims of CSA.

Journal

English

Farrel Greenspan
Andreia G. Moretzsohn
Peter H. Silverstone

Greenspan, F., Moretzsohn A. G., & Silverstone, P. H. (2013, November). What treatments are available for childhood sexual abuse, and how do they compare? International Journal of Advances in Psychology, 2(2), 232-241. doi:10.14355/ijap.2013.0204.07