The impact of sexual abuse reaches all levels of a childs .

             These emotions and the effects are listed below: .

             .

             Confusion: .

             .

             This is usually the initial reaction of the child. They will .

             usually question, "What is going on?" and " Is this right or .

             wrong?". For a young child these types of questions can be an .

             emense burden on their physcological development. Once the abuse .

             begins the victim experience a tremnedous conflict with their .

             emotions. They feel pleasant due to the attention they are .

             recieving from the parent, as well as the sensual pleasure. On .

             the other hand they experience pain, guilt, and anger for what is .

             being done. .

             .

             The question, "Is this right or wrong?" posses the greatest .

             conflict within the childs mind. The abuse feels so wrong yet .

             the abuser insits it is okay, taking advantage of the childs .

             mistrust and naivety. Below are the thoughts of an abused victim .

             as she thinks back to her abuse and questions her father. It is .

             an example of this mistrust as well as the confusion which goes .

             through a childs mind. .

             Since I was a little ten-year-old child, I had to deceive and .

             hide from the world and my mother that my father took a sexual .

             interest in me. Remember how you taught me that art of deceit? .

             First you put me in a situation that had to be kept a secret then .

             you pledged me to secrecy.As a ten-year-old child, what was I .

             supposed to do? You are an intelligent man you figure out the .

             options available to a ten-year-old in that position." (Rush, .

             1980).

             Guilt: .

             .

             The abused will feel tremendous guilt for a numerous reasons: .

             They feel they did nothing to stop the abuse therefore they are .

             responsible and it should continue. They felt uncomfortable but .

             the abuse was sometimes pleasureable. They somehow deserved .

             and/or caused the abuse. A victim will usually feel this way .

             when their self-esteem has diminshed and they have no more .

             answers for what is happenning. .

             .

             A nine-year-old girl had a nightmare and went to her father's .