Child sexual abuse: its impact and treatment.

Sexual victimization of children is a relatively new area of enquiry and initial studies have been directed towards identification and etiology. It is only recently that treatment issues are beginning to be addressed. This paper first reviews the literature on the direct and indirect effects of sexual abuse on the child victim, and outlines five key issues in treatment. The major foci in treatment to date are described and a number of existing models, which have been devised to address these treatment issues, are briefly summarized.