david-finkelhor

Like Jocelyn, Survivors often think: * That__ just the way I am * I__ not lovable, that__ why I keep having disastrous relationships * I__ not very clever, that__ why I didn__ do well at school * I__ a loner * I__ a weak person * I__ not very nice * I was a difficult childMany survivors find it difficult to accept that being sexually abused as a child can continue to affect them many years later. It may seem too fantastic, or too frightening an idea to believe. David Finkelhor, an American researcher, has tried to explain how sexual abuse affects a child and leads to long-term problems. He suggests four ways in which childhood sexual abuse causes problems:1 Traumatic Sexualization2 Stigmatization 3 Betrayal 4 Powerlessness