Child abuse - sexual

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Overview

Symptoms

Treatment

Prevention

Child abuse - sexual

Alternative Names:

Sexual abuse - children

Symptoms:

Symptoms of child abuse are similar to those seen in clinical depression or severe anxiety and nervousness. They can include:

Recurrent headaches (vague complaints)
Stomach aches (vague complaints)
Bowel disorders, such as soiling oneself (encopresis)
Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa
Sleep problems
Genital or rectal symptoms, such as pain during a bowel movement or urination, or vaginal itch or discharge

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Social symptoms include withdrawl from normal activities, excessive fears or school failure, and disruptive behaviors such as using alcohol and street drugs or engaging in high-risk sexual behaviors.

Signs and tests:

If there is any suspicion of child sexual abuse, the child should be examined as soon as possible by a trained healthcare professional.

An examination should not be delayed for any reason. Many signs of injury are temporary. Ideally, the examination should occur within 72 hours of the event or discovery. Most pediatricians, many family medicine doctors, and most emergency room (ER) physicians have training in examining cases involving sexual abuse and can document findings appropriately. A second examination with an expert abuse examiner should be scheduled thereafter. A physician or nurse specialist can be found through child protective services program anywhere in the U.S.

An examination will automatically be scheduled when suspected child sexual abuse is reported to police or child protection agencies (see discussion on reporting abuse below).

It is extremely important to document physical findings related to any form of child abuse. A complete physical examination must always be performed, so that the examiner can look for any signs of physical and sexual abuse . The two forms of abuse may co-exist.

Affected areas may include the mouth, throat, penis, and vagina. The hymen is a thin membrane covering the opening of the vagina. There are some normal variations to this structure, but it can be affected by abuse.

Your doctor may also order blood tests to check for sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis and HIV. These tests can also help determine treatment.

Photographs of any injuries may help establish what happened.