Physical effects of sexually abused children and adolescents at Taksin Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To study the incidences and physical effects of sexually abused children and adolescents.

Material and method: Rape records and records of 250 sexually abused children and adolescents treated at Taksin Hospital between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2004 from Child-Women Protection Center were studied retrospectively.

Results: The incidence of sexual abuse in children and adolescents was 4.74 per 10,000 cases of age-adjusted patients at the OPD and 22.97 at the emergency department. Most of the cases (97.20%) were females. Mean age was 13.74 +/- 4.27 (2-20) years old. Most of the cases were early adolescents (52.40%), late adolescents 32.40%, and children 15.20%. Thirty-nine cases (15.60%) had physical injuries, 36 cases (14.40%) had external genital injuries, 25 cases (10.00%) had gonococcal infections, 15 cases (6.20%) had bleeding in the vaginal canal, and eight cases (3.20%) were pregnant. Two hundred and twenty six cases (90.40%) were reported to the police. There was correlation between age group and hymen tearing (p-value < 0.001), gonococcal infection (p-value < 0.01) and sperm finding (p-value < 0.001). However there was no correlation between age group and gender, physical injury, genital injury, bleeding in the vagina and acid phosphatase finding. In addition, there was correlation between physical injury and bleeding in the vagina (p-value < 0.01) but no correlation between genital injury and hymen findings.

Conclusion: Sexual abused victims need immediate attention for the traumatic impacts of their physical, psychological, and emotional conditions, as well as on their social impact. Thus, it is imperative that protection be exerted over the treatment to prevent recurrence.