Keywords

sexual abuse, faculty members, therapy, borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder

Abstract

One out of 10 children are abused before the age of 18 (Darkness to Light, 2015). They are often abused by parents or family members, demonstrating that elementary school faculty should be enlisted to help recognize and report childhood sexual abuse (Alvarez et al., 2004; United States Government Accountability Office, 2014). Trainings should be provided to educators on how to best help children in this situation (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003). Once teachers report abuse, children can receive the help they need through CBT, TF-CBT, art therapy, and group therapy (Devlin et al., 2019; Kim et al., 2016; Putnam, 2003; Tichelaar et al., 2020). If sexually abused children receive help, they are more likely to decrease the negative effects of abuse such as anxiety, depression, and disassociation, which are connected to personality disorders in adolescence (Kim et al., 2016; Pifalo, 2002; Tichelaar et al., 2020). If children do not get the help they need, they can be susceptible to acquiring personality disorders such as BPD and DID, which can compromise the management of emotions and increase feelings of detachment from oneself (Beitchman et al., 2002; Turniansky et al., 2019; Warrender et al., 2021). Through trainings and more research in the field of personality disorders, beneficial changes can be made to improve the lives of children and adolescents.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2023-01-08

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Junior

Course

PSYCH 307

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