Sexual violence is common and can have lasting effects on a survivor. But recovering from sexual trauma may be possible.
Sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse can happen to anyone and may result in trauma for the survivor.
The traumatic effects of unwanted sexual contact can have lasting effects regardless of when it occurred.
If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual violence, understanding the effects of physical and psychological trauma can help you or your loved one on the journey toward healing.
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Sexual violence that includes assault or abuse is prevalent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men experience unwanted sexual contact.
Sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse may result in sexual trauma, both short- and long-term effects.
“Trauma is the result of an experience, or layers of experiences, that dramatically and negatively change the way we see ourselves and the way we navigate our relationships and the world around us,” says Shauna Springer, PhD, chief psychologist for Stella, an organization dedicated to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The risk factors for developing trauma following unwanted sexual activity can vary.
Because no two experiences of sexual violence are alike, how trauma may present can be difficult to measure and depend on an individual’s circumstances.
“Not everyone who experiences sexual abuse [or assault] will develop trauma, and others might be traumatized by a single event,” says Pauline Peck, PhD, a psychologist in California and New York.
According to Peck, common risk factors for developing trauma following sexual violence may include:
Nicole Washington, DO, MPH, a board certified psychiatrist and a member of the Psych Central Medical Advisory Board, says sexual trauma can show up in ways similar to other traumas, including the presence of triggers.
After a survivor has experienced trauma, specific situations may cause distress. Triggers may range from being in a certain location to being held in a specific way. Other triggers may include:
Other symptoms that may manifest following sexual trauma may include:
Saba Harouni Lurie, a licensed marriage and family therapist of Take Root Therapy in Los Angeles, says some people may develop harmful coping mechanisms to manage symptoms associated with their trauma.
“People who’ve experienced sexual trauma and are managing the ongoing impacts will do their best to cope as well as they can,” Lurie says. “Sometimes that might mean things that are not necessarily safe or helpful for them in the long run, but that is working for them in the short term.”
A response to a traumatic sexual situation may inform how a survivor may relate to sexual situations in the future.
Some may engage in hypersexuality — but frequent consensual sexual activity isn’t always an issue, nor is it necessarily an indication of trauma or another disorder.
However, some folks may use intimacy to self-medicate rather than fully process and work through their trauma.
And for many people, sexual activity following sexual trauma may feel scary or uncomfortable. Some individuals may choose to abstain or be particular about whom they engage in sex and how.
Humans are social beings — we desire connections with others. But sexual trauma may affect your ability to connect with others, affecting your relationships.
Future relationships may also be impacted by sexual trauma. According to Washington, detaching from others is a common response to sexual trauma.
Other ways sexual trauma could affect your relationships include:
In addition, sexual trauma could affect relationships between parents, which may impact their children.
“It’s not uncommon to see people who were victims of sexual trauma as kids who see an increase in trauma-related symptoms when their children approach the age they were when they experienced their sexual trauma,” Washington says.
