Shame Guilt and Self-Esteem of Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is a physical act, but its negative ramifications are mostly psychological. As a result, it is a substantial risk factor for psychopathology development at various phases of life, including childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The present study aimed at studying the shame guilt and self-esteem of adult-child sexual abuse survivors.  A sample of 100 (50 male ; 50 female) participants with urban domicile was collected and was matched with the rest who had been victims of sexual abuse before age 18. The shame and guilt among the participants were assessed using the state shame and guilt scale and the self-esteem was assessed using Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale. The result revealed that there was no significant difference among male and female adult child sexual abuse survivors on shame, guilt and self-esteem. While there was a significant positive correlation between shame and guilt and a moderate negative correlation between self-esteem shame and guilt.