The Development of Sexuality in Children and Adolescents with a History of Sexual Violence: A Systematic Review of the Effects on Sexuality

Theoretical background: The effects of sexual violence in childhood are considered detrimental to and ubiquitous throughout development. In addition to physical and psychological consequences, the consequences of child sexual violence also include changes in the development of sexuality. For example, victims of child sexual violence are more likely to develop sexual distortions and sexual anxiety, engage in risky sexual behavior and transactional sex, and show sexual behavioral problems. Moreover, they are at a higher risk of becoming sexual offenders themselves. According to the current state of research, such a connection between child sexual violence and changes in sexuality has been investigated only retrospectively in adulthood after sexual violence in childhood. However, it is of great importance to better understand the aftermath of sexual violence in children and adolescents, as consequences already occur during childhood and adolescence. Objective: This review provides a systematic overview of the current state of research regarding the development of sexuality in sexually violated children and adolescents. Accordingly, the consequential question is: To what extent and in what respect does sexual violence in children and adolescents influence the sexual development of children and adolescents? Method: We carried out a systematic literature search using the following electronic databases: PubMed, ERIC, Cochrane, and PubPsych. We then analyzed the consequences of childhood sexual violence on sexuality. Results: We identified 127 studies on sexuality after sexual violence and assigned them to eight subcategories: sexual risk behavior, teenage pregnancy, juvenile sex offenders, sexual behavior problems, sexual beliefs and attitudes, transactional sex, sexually transmitted diseases, and somatic symptoms. Results show that there is a clear link between childhood sexual violence and risky sexual behavior, teenage pregnancy, transactional sex, juvenile sexual offending, sexual behavior problems, and sexual beliefs and attitudes. Discussion and conclusion: Victims of sexual violence are at a higher risk of abnormal, deviant sexual development. In children and adolescents, the development of sexuality is just beginning, making it important to intervene at an early stage to preventively reduce the effects of sexual violence. To develop appropriate interventions, the effects on sexual development need to be researched, identified, and understood. However, this research shows that to date the development of sexuality of sexually violated children and adolescents has been incompletely examined and is in need of further investigation.