I personally believe that there are more dramatic long term affects on a victim of sexual assault, than there are short term affects. Short term affects may lead into dramatic long term affects if they are not dealt with in a professional way.
Short term affects include change of personality, change of habits, and change of appearance. If a victim has a change of personality they could become slightly/ extremely different from what they previously were. They can go from being a happy bubbly person, to a dark angry person. Often a victim will become secluded to society and isolate themselves as a way of blocking out the people closest to them. The victim feels that if they let people close to them, than the people will realize what has happened. Or the person will realize that the victim is still deeply troubled, and they will try and force the victim to face their pain. A sexually assaulted victim is embarrassed of what has happened, they don’t want to bring it up and isolation is a way of keeping that embarrassment close. Change of habit is also extreme and can be a way of blocking out loved ones. Previously a person could have been outgoing and enjoyed socializing, but once they’re a victim they chose instead to stay home more frequently. Victims are more likely to be alone; they are quiet people who choose not to burden others with their troubles. Change of appearance may be a way for the victim to change what has happened to them. They change their appearance such as makeup, clothing, and hairstyle possibly so the attacker will no longer be able to recognize them. Victims also change their appearance and tell themselves they are over what has happened. They believe a new look is a new beginning, while in reality it is just simply another way of keeping their pain a secret. All of the above can be short term affects, but if the victim does not seek professional help these affects can become long term and destructive.
There are a variety of feelings a victim goes through after a sexual assault. These feelings can become extreme or minor; they can also be present at any time after the assault. There is no set order for the emotions and feelings to occur. These include stress, fear, paranoia, anger, frustration, confusion, and loneliness. After a sexual assault the victim becomes deprived of their life and any future joy. A victim may blame themselves for what has occurred which leaves them with no self worth. Without self worth there is an opportunity for these feelings and emotions to become dangerous long term affects. This danger can become self destruction in many forms.
When a person blames themselves for what has happened they sabotage any chance of happiness for themselves. They block out their former life and begin to form a new life. Some sexual assault victims begin to exercise excessively. There are a variety of ideas to why they exercise excessively. It could be to change their appearance, but it can also be a way of dealing with their emotions in an activity that seems normal in society. Another way for a victim to deal with their emotions is to change their eating habits. They may binge eat, may become anorexic, or they may eat excessively without explanation. A victim may relocate their life and quit their job in order to escape their pain. Often there is no true explanation of why the victim is moving, they just pack up and go, leaving those behind confused and worried. Financial loss occurs for two reasons. The first being when the victim packs up and moves their entire life they loose their previous job and may have trouble finding a new one once they’ve moved. The second reason is a sexually abused victim may have trouble holding down a job, because they are distracted and they have not dealt with the mix of emotions and feelings they have. Change in sleep patterns can be a result of financial loss, relocation, and their unresolved emotions. If a sexually abused victim is a mother, the people she often hurts the most are her children. A mother does not even realize that she is hurting her children. She is simply just so lost in her emotions and the idea that she is over her abuse that she forgets and neglects the duties she has as a mother. Often the simplest duty is to acknowledge her children in a positive way, and she may move around them without communicating directly to them.
If a victim is sexually assaulted the life they knew before their abuse vanishes. No matter what they tell themselves or others they simply can not deal with the impacts of this crime on their own. They require a long process of professional help in order to move on with their lives in a positive way.
