"Supported by the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong, UGC-FDS11-H03-16-2017"

Includes bibliographical references (p. 325-424)

In the past three decades, there has been a large number of research looking into various aspects of child abuse, of which child sexual abuse(CSA) has become the focus of many empirical studies. In particular, long-term effects of CSA on the development of adult psychosocial impairments and psychiatric symptoms have been the concern of most studies. Emphasis of these studies has been places on symptoms of mental disorders (e.g. symptoms of dissociations, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorders) as sequelae of CSA. Recent studies also focus on identifying specific negative sexual outcomes of CSA in adulthood. However, how CSA survivors perceive themselves as a person of sexual being was relatively neglected. The sexual self-concept of female survivors has not been systematically investigated in the field of CSA, notwithstanding it is the core of an individual's sexuality and a major component of holistic health.
Based on literature review and clinical observation, we hypothesized that CSA would exert a deleterious effect on sexual self-concept and psychological functioning of female survivors.