3. Sexual abuse.
Another major trigger of adverse childhood experiences is sexual abuse. This type of abuse refers to any actions that are made against a child that is sexual in nature and can include both physical and non-physical behaviors. Examples of physical behaviors can include touching the genitals of a child or forcing a child to touch the genitals of someone else (an adult or another child). Examples of non-physical behaviors can include demanding a child to engage in child pornography, the encouragement of sexual acts, exposure of genitals to a child, partaking in sexual acts in front of a child.
Child sexual abuse can occur anywhere; at home, at school, at places of worship, and at a doctor’s office, for example. The effects can include psychological trauma, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. All of these factors can lead to serious problems in adulthood, which can have lasting consequences.