PTSD from sexual abuse: what is going on?
PTSD from Sexual Abuse: Understanding the Long-Term Impact of Trauma
Unraveling the Impact: How Sexual Abuse Leads to PTSD and Long-Term Trauma
Sexual abuse is a deeply traumatic experience that can leave lasting psychological scars, often manifesting as PTSD from sexual abuse. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, and for many survivors of sexual assault, its effects linger long after the abuse ends. Symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and avoidance behaviors can disrupt daily life, making healing a complex and personal journey.
For some survivors, PTSD develops into complex PTSD (C-PTSD) , a condition that arises from prolonged or repeated trauma, leading to deeper emotional and psychological challenges. If you're struggling to communicate what this feels like to others, you may find our guide on How to explain complex PTSD to someone who doesn’t have it? helpful in breaking it down for friends, family, or loved ones.
In this article, originally published by Pussypedia, we explore the realities of PTSD from sexual abuse, including its symptoms, prevalence, and coping mechanisms. Understanding the impact of trauma is essential for survivors and their loved ones, offering insight into recovery options such as therapy, medication, and self-care strategies. If you or someone you know is struggling, know that help is available, and healing is possible.
Updated on January 25, 2025
Understanding PTSD from Sexual Abuse – PTSD from sexual abuse occurs when trauma lingers long after the event, causing distressing symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and avoidance behaviors. The National Institute of Mental Health outlines five key symptom categories that define PTSD related to sexual trauma.
Symptoms and Triggers of PTSD from Sexual Abuse – Survivors may experience re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance behaviors, heightened arousal, mood disturbances, and difficulty with memory. Triggers—such as specific sights, sounds, or locations—can unexpectedly cause distress and vary from person to person.
How Common is PTSD from Sexual Abuse? – Studies show that PTSD is highly prevalent among survivors of sexual abuse, with 94% of rape survivors experiencing symptoms within two weeks. Factors increasing the risk of PTSD include past trauma, pre-existing mental health conditions, substance abuse, and lack of a support system.
Coping and Treatment for PTSD from Sexual Abuse – Healing from PTSD is a personal journey, with treatment options like trauma-focused psychotherapy (Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, EMDR) and medication. Self-care strategies include exercise, support from trusted individuals, identifying triggers, and practicing mindfulness to help manage symptoms.
Table of contents: PTSD from sexual abuse
PTSD from sexual abuse: what is going on?
Author: Colleen Li / Pussypedia
When you experience a traumatic event, its effects may linger well beyond the incident itself. Consider sexual abuse, which encompasses any sexual act where one person is unable or unwilling to give consent. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Attempted or completed rape (non-consensual sexual penetration)
- Unwanted or non-consensual sexual touching or contact
- Being forced to perform sexual acts, like oral sex or penetration
- Alcohol or drug-facilitated sexual assault (sexual acts done when one party was too intoxicated to give consent)
- Non-physically forced sexual assault (verbally pressured or threatened into sexual acts)
"Sexual abuse is sexual behavior or a sexual act forced upon a woman, man or child without their consent. Sexual abuse includes abuse of a woman, man or child by a man, woman or child. Sexual abuse is an act of violence which the attacker uses against someone they perceive as weaker than them."
After horrible experiences like sexual abuse, survivors may experience PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or complex PTSD, which consists of intense thoughts and feelings that tend to hang around after trauma. There’s an official, clinical way of diagnosing PTSD, but it shows up differently in everyone. The National Institute of Mental Health has five official criteria for PTSD symptoms of sexual abuse that must be present for at least one month:
- At least one “re-experiencing” symptom, such as flashbacks of the sexual assault, nightmares, or frightening thoughts
- At least one “avoidance symptom,” such as avoiding places and things related to the sexual assault or suppressing thoughts and feelings related to the sexual assault.
- At least two “arousal and reactivity symptoms,” such as: being easily startled, anxiety, feeling tense or on edge, difficulty sleeping, or angry outbursts
- At least two “cognition and mood symptoms” such as trouble clearly remembering the sexual assault, negative thoughts about themselves and/or the world, distorted feelings like guilt or blame for the sexual assault, and losing interest in previously enjoyable activities.
But, the National Institute of Mental Health acknowledges that PTSD sexual abuse symptoms manifest in a variety of ways and are different for all survivors. Sarah Hyde, a sex educator and relationship violence advocate at Safe Alternatives to Violent Environments, explains:
“People might not discover their PTSD until much later on, and PTSD might change over time—some months it might feel really persistent, and then other months might feel totally okay. It might revisit you after years, it might come when it’s not expected, and your triggers might seem totally random.”
Triggers, whether a particular sight, scent, crowded place, or specific location, can evoke memories of sexual assault along with intense, distressing emotions. Each person's triggers are distinctive and entirely valid. Consequently, many survivors of sexual abuse often steer clear of situations that might provoke these triggers.
How common is PTSD from sexual abuse?
There are statistics about rates of PTSD from sexual abuse. Still, they may not be accurate because many people with trauma do not self-diagnose or self-report it (just as much sexual abuse goes forever unreported).
The available research suggests that of the people who have experienced rape, some form of PTSD is almost a certain outcome. A 2001 study of cisgender women in the United States showed that 94% of rape victims experienced PTSD symptoms of sexual abuse within 2 weeks of their assault. Another 47% were still experiencing symptoms within three months of their assault.
A 2014 study of African American cisgender women in Detroit showed that women who had experienced sexual abuse and sexual violence were 1.6 times more likely to experience PTSD. People under any of these categories are at a higher risk for PTSD:
- Have already experienced traumas
- Jobs that make potentially traumatic events more likely
- Already having mental health disorders
- Substance abuse
- Lacking support systems (like friends and family)
How can I take care of myself if I have PTSD from sexual abuse?
Dealing with PTSD resulting from sexual abuse is a deeply personal experience, and every individual’s path to recovery and healing from trauma is unique. There is no single “right” way to approach this journey. What works for one person may not work for another, and that is entirely okay. Here are some potential treatment options and coping strategies for managing PTSD, but it is important to remember that any steps you take toward recovery are important and valid. Your journey is your own, and any effort made is a positive step forward.
“Give yourself the space to feel upset, anxious, or scared. When experiencing trauma, it’s important to have permission to feel your trauma and respond in the most authentic way,” says Hyde.
Trauma-focused psychotherapy, talk-therapy focused on processing traumatic events, is one possible form of treatment for PTSD from sexual abuse. Though every experience is different, trauma-focused psychotherapy tends to last 8-16 sessions and involves visualizing, talking, or thinking about the traumatic event in order to cope with it.
The most effective forms of trauma-based psychotherapy are: Prolonged Exposure (revisiting the trauma in a safe setting, allowing survivors to face their trauma and any thoughts associated with it without fear or flashbacks); Cognitive Processing Therapy (analyzing the mental processes that manifested from the trauma that may be affecting daily life); and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing: EMDR (Prolonged Exposure along with a series of eye movements that shifts the way the trauma is processed in the brain).
Medication is another treatment for PTSD from sexual abuse; antidepressants can relieve symptoms of depression, such as concentration and insomnia, while anti-anxiety medication can treat symptoms of anxiety. Unfortunately, medication and psychotherapy are expensive and not always easy! Those without access can:
- Engage in physical activity and exercise.
- Spend time with people you feel comfortable with.
- Inform trusted people of your triggers.
- Identify locations, people, and situations you feel comfortable in.2
- Learn more about PTSD and its symptoms. Understanding thoughts and feelings will help develop coping mechanisms.
- Take care of yourself. Sleep, eat, and make time for self-care if you can.
- When experiencing PTSD symptoms, do something that makes you feel calmer such as taking a walk.
A message to survivors from the author: Sexual assault is never your fault; you don’t deserve it by any means, and recovering from PTSD is fully possible. If you are in need of emergency help, please call 911.
PTSD from sexual abuse: what is going on? was originally published as PTSD in Survivors of Sexual Assault on Pussypedia and is republished here under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND
Sources on PTSD from Sexual Abuse
Selected sources for ‘PTSD from sexual abuse: what is going on?” are:
1. Basile KC, Smith SG, Breiding MJ, Black MC, Mahendra RR. “Sexual Violence: Definitions.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018)
2. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health. (2019)
3. “What is a Trigger?” University of Alberta Sexual Assault Center. PsychCentral. (2018)
4. Parekh, Ranna “Predictors of PTSD Symptom Severity and Social Reactions in Sexual Assault Victims” American Psychiatric Association. (2017)
5. Ullman SE, Filipas HH. “Predictors of PTSD Symptom Severity and Social Reactions in Sexual Assault Victims” Journal of Traumatic Stress. 14(2). (2001)
6. Kate Walsh, Karestan C. Koenen, Allison E. Aiello, Monica Uddin, Sandro Galea. “Prevalence of Sexual Violence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in an Urban African-American Population.” Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. 16(6). (2014)
7. “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).” Mayo Clinic Staff. Mayo Clinic. (2018)
8. “PTSD Treatment Basics.” US Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed 2019
