The reason I offer this list of effects of child sexual abuse upon its victims is primarily to remind myself and other pedophiles of the real misery that acting out on our feelings would cause. Coming to a better understanding of what victims go through is called "victim empathy," and may help prevent abuse.

This list may also help educate the public, and help survivors of child sexual abuse understand that what they are going through is normal, and is not their fault.

Initial effects of child sexual abuse may include:

• medical problems such as sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy and physical injury;
• emotional problems such as guilt, anger, hostility, anxiety, fear, shame, lowered self-esteem;
• behavioral problems such as aggression, delinquency, nightmares, phobias, eating and sleeping disorders; and school problems such as truancy.

Long-term consequences may include:

• sexual dysfunction (such as flashbacks, difficulty in arousal, avoidance of or phobic reactions to sexual intimacy);
• vulnerability to subsequent abuse and exploitation;
• promiscuity;
• prostitution;
• discomfort in intimate relationships;
• isolation;
• marital problems;
• depression;
• drug or alcohol abuse;
• suicide ("Risk of repeated suicide attempts was 8 times greater for youths with a sexual abuse history" (Brown ... [et al.]));
• eating disorders;
• lower IQ scores;
• self-injury;
• alexithymia ("A disturbance in affective and cognitive function that overlaps diagnostic entities but is common in psychosomatic disorders, addictive disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The chief manifestations are difficulty in describing or recognizing one's own emotions, a limited fantasy life, and general constriction in the affective life" (Scher & Twaite)).

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