Mental Health Among Student Workers

Student Workers and Mental Health 

Mental Health issues are increasingly prevalent among college students: 

- 73% of college students experience some sort of mental health crisis during college. 

- Mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, substance use, and eating disorders are associated with lower GPA and a higher probability of dropping out of college. 

- More than 80% of college students felt overwhelmed, and 45% felt hopeless

    Although it may be difficult to admit, being a full-time college student and full-time employee is one of the most challenging and stressful situations one can experience. Trying to balance both causes a tremendous toll and can affect a person's physical and mental well-being. 

    Recently, educational systems have shown concern for the mental health and well-being of university students, highlighting depression, anxiety, and suicide risk. According to the scholarly article Self- Rated Health and Psychological Distress among Emerging Adults: A Comparison between Data on University Students, Young Workers, and Working Students, "Employment can have a protective impact on young worker's psychological well-being...it can be demanding and can compromise mental health: young workers seem to experience high levels of psychological distress due to low control of employment status, psycho-social stressors such as harassment and addictive behaviors". 

    Students experiencing higher psychological distress is a matter of great concern for educational and occupational systems because they show a higher risk of burnout, academic failure, and dropping out of university. The results of the study found that student workers showed an increased risk of anxiety or depression, yet they were more likely to report weak mental health compared to workers and a lower risk of poor physical health. 

When a student has difficulty managing school and work, it can cause a summation of pressure and stress, affecting their mental health. Causing depressive episodes and even affecting their physical well-being. One of the main worries students have is their grades; this can cause stress, often causing them to develop anxiety disorders.

How this Social Issue Affects Me 

    This issue directly affects me because managing both and creating a well-balanced schedule as a full-time student and employee can be challenging. Making extra time out of class to complete assignments and projects and rest from a physically demanding minimum-wage job is difficult. In my situation, I feel pressured to have a job to financially support my college and personal familial expenses. Added to the pressure of maintaining excellent grades and graduating on time, all add up to an incredible amount of anxiety and fear of failure, which affects my mental well-being. 

    Personally, I have gone through both mental and physical health issues, which have led me to urgent care in three particular situations throughout my college experience. I have also noticed my grades slipping due to my full-time job and stress. I know many other student workers may have gone through similar experiences and chose to try to reach out and show they weren't alone. 

Community 

Jasmine Pineda 

Q: Are you a student worker? 

A: Yes 

Q: Would you say you have experienced any issues with your mental health being a student worker? 

A: I've mostly been stressed over my grades and a few classes. I become more anxious whenever the semester starts cause I get stressed over finishing assignments on time. 

Elizabeth Martinez 

Q: Are you a student worker? 

A: Yeah 

Q: Have you experienced any issues with your mental health being a student worker?

A: Yeah, it's weird cause last semester, I had occasional scheduled checkups with my doctor for my physical health, but they said I just had to calm down from all the school-related stressors. I swear, after that semester ended, it was like I had nothing wrong with me anymore like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I get really anxious and sometimes have depressive episodes. It's really easy to fall into imposter syndrome too. 

References

Franzoi, I. G., D’Ovidio, F., Costa, G., d’Errico, A., & Granieri, A. (2021). Self-rated health and psychological distress among emerging adults in Italy: A comparison between data on university students, Young Workers and working students collected through the 2005 and 2013 National Health Surveys. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(12), 6403. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18126403

Eliza Abdu-Glass, S. S. (2023b, June 8). The College Mental Health Crisis: A call for cultural change – part 2. Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds. https://www.mghclaycenter.org/parenting-concerns/college-mental-health-crisis-call-cultural-change-part-2/

Spitalniak, L. (2023, January 18). College student, employee mental health worsened last year, survey finds. Higher Ed Dive. https://www.highereddive.com/news/college-student-employee-mental-health-worsened-NASPA/640669/

Isabella Santoro, A. A. E. (2021, December 6). How being a full-time student and employee affects Mental Health. The Anchor Newspaper. https://www.anchorweb.org/post/how-being-a-full-time-student-and-employee-affects-mental-health

Yvonne Garcia 

 

The Impact of Safety around Water - Christian Carrasco

 

The Impact of Safety around Water 

My name is Christian Carrasco Herrera and I have been a Swim Instructor/Lifeguard for about 6 years now. I am currently a Los Angeles County Pool Manager at San Fernando Regional Pool and I facilitate programs such as Swim Lessons, Novice Teams, Aqua Exercise and Lap Swim. The importance of being safe around water is crucial for individuals in the community to understand because drowning is the leading cause of death in children. 

What is drowning exactly? Drowning is the process of experience respiratory impairment from submersion or immersion of liquid. Drowning is not always fatal, with preventative lifeguards and swim lesson methods may greatly minimize the cause of drowning. 

The issue of not being safe around water leads to children being at the highest risk of drowning, adults are also prone to drowning without understanding the rules of a pool or unawareness of their swim abilities. This effects all communities as the unawareness of knowing how to swim is prevalent in communities where pools aren't accessible and or have improper prevention efforts to block individuals from open water. Individuals can learn to take water safety swim lessons by researching efforts online or going to the local pool to learn more about how to prevent drowning. 

Based on research by Red Cross Learning center, 'Water competency is a way of improving water safety for yourself and those around you through avoiding common dangers, developing fundamental water safety skills to make you safer in and around the water, and knowing how to prevent and respond to drowning emergencies.' (Red Cross 1)

How does this relate to civic engagement?

~ According to ThoughtCo. written by Robert Longley, Civic engagement means participating in activities intended to improve the quality of life in one's community by addressing issues of public concern, such as homelessness, pollution, or food insecurity, and developing the knowledge and skills needed to address those issues. Civic engagement can involve a wide range of political and non-political activities including voting, volunteering, and participating in group activities like community gardens and food banks. In the second article researched, ‘Civic engagement is defined as a form of stakeholder engagement that focuses on participation in either political activities, community activities or both.’ (Hendricks 1)

In my own terms of civic engagement, I believe that it is a form of an incentive to influence a change in one’s community. These incentives allow for one's voice to be heard and can allow for change to occur by bringing everyone together. I imagine it as people in a small bubble being aware of information, empowerment of participation in big world problems and can spread diversity amongst communities. An example of civic engagement can be giving free swim lessons to the community because it will engage in water safety. With free swim lessons, infants, children and adults will have the opportunity to learn how to swim and be safe in and out of water. 

Whilst completing this project, preventative measures to prevent individuals of becoming a drowning statistic has always been my top priority. I have developed a Sixth Sense in determining the signs of drowning and reading the body languages of individuals who feel uncomfortable/unsafe around water. I ensure that each individual is aware of the pool rules and are able to comply with the safety of why we implement these rules. There are many different methods to demonstrate these rules, such as showing videos of Whale Tales, a imaginary whale who ventures in water conditions to show kids of all ages why it's important to swim with a buddy, not swimming without a lifeguard supervising and wearing a life jacket. This matter is very important to me because I want to ensure that everyone demonstrates safe efforts in and around open water. Everyone who enters our facility is ensured to exit our facility feeling safe and have had the opportunity to have fun and go on with their day. 

In my community, I had the great opportunity to speak with those in my organization and brought up the impact of safety around water. I asked them why it was important to know safety around water and explain how not knowing safety measures can affect local communities.

Members of our community:

                    'Aquatics Maintenance Technician, Brandon Oliva'                             

'Los Angeles was host to the Olympics back in 1984 and it left us with a wonderful program name LA84. This program has supported, many public agencies in the Los Angeles area with Aquatics. This program has given many kids the opportunity to learn about water safety. This also goes a long way to educating the parents on how to be safe around water. Water safety is something everyone should be educated especially if we live near pools and bodies of water. Little bit of knowledge could go a long way and even save your life. 

Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of death in children, that's right behind car accidents. With some racial groups being on the top such as Black and American Indian. Black people are 1.5 times higher to drown then white. When we break it down even more between ages we see an increase of drownings in the black community. This information is alarming due to the fact that here in the LA area there's limited public pools in these communities where it's dominated by the Black community. Therefore, allowing these programs to be in offer at these locations would significantly help out these communities. 

Mr. Carrasco is one of the instructors in this program allowing it to continue to grow in our communities. Our numbers did decrease during the pandemic and along with our lifeguard shortage. However, after much battle from this will we be putting more programs this summer of 2024 to our communities.' (Brandon Oliva)

'Senior Pool Lifeguard, Naomi Melgoza'

'Hello my name is Naomi Melgoza and I'm a LA County Senior Pool Lifeguard at San Fernando Regional Pool. 

The importance of water safety should be emphasized in all communities because it’s fundamental to public health, and social development.  It’s important for communities to be aware of public health and safety because the lack of water safety knowledge and enforcement can lead to drownings, and injuries especially with the younger ones. By also prioritizing water safety, it supports broader social progress by having access to recreational activities and knowledge to public health in all communities. 

Water safety affects communities who have less income because they don’t have the same opportunities to learn about water safety and the rules that come to it like having the activities. In my pool, we offer many programs to small children and adults to get the community around me to get the opportunity to learn water safety for free of charge. We offer many swim lessons to all ages and a program called lifeguard ready training to get lifeguard trainings for free.  Prioritizing water safety measures and access to aquatic resources is crucial for supporting thriving and resilient communities.' (Naomi Melgoza)

'Premier Swim Academy Training Coordinator, Gabriella Ruiz'

'My name is Gabriella Ruiz and I’m the training coordinator/ swim instructor for a swim school in Rancho Cucamonga, Premier Swim Academy. 

I think water safety is something that is crucially important to a community. Learn to swim programs give everyone in the community an opportunity to learn the life saving skill of self rescue in aquatic environments. This can be achieved through many different techniques but regardless of the programs teachings children and adults having access to this knowledge is crucial to create a safe environment.

I think water safety affects communities in multiple ways. When community aquatic facilities are equipped with responsible, trained, diligent lifeguards and the safety equipment necessary to handle any sort of emergency until emergency services arrive, we are prioritizing community safety. When community safety is prioritized by staff and facilities, we can allow the community a fun and safe  environment to connect with each other and explore all the possibilities that aquatics has to offer.' (Gabriella Ruiz)

Sign up for Swim Lessons, Lap Swim and Water Exercise at your nearest county facility on reservations.lacounty.gov!

Apply to become a Pool Lifeguard;

https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty/jobs/4380811/pool-lifeguard-candidate-temporary

Please feel free to contact me for further inquiries, CCarrascoHerrera@parks.lacounty.gov

References:

Longley, Robert. “What Is Civic Engagement? Definition and Examples.” ThoughtCo, ThoughtCo, 4 Oct. 2022, www.thoughtco.com/what-is-civic-engagement-definition-and-examples-5072704Links to an external site..

Hendricks, Allison. “What Is Civic Engagement? Definitions, Examples, How TOS, and More.” Simply Stakeholders, Allison Hendricks, 14 Oct. 2022, simplystakeholders.com/civic-engagement-definition/#heading-3.

“Water Safety.” American Red Cross, www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies/water-safety.html. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024. 

“Drowning Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2 Jan. 2024, www.cdc.gov/drowning/facts/. 

How Social Media Affects The Way Body Image Is Seen

By: Samantha Olaguez

Photo Credits: Siberianart

The social issue I chose to discuss is the issue that social media has on women's body image. With the uprising of technology came social media, the concept of influencers, and the ideal body type. The issue of body image has always been around, especially with the growth of media and entertainment. The perfect body type is ever-changing. With a slimmer body and bigger breasts for women in the '90s and early 2000s to being “slim thick,” meaning to have a toned and tiny waist while being curvy in the right places. In this blog, I want to specify how social media now affects teenage girls' body image and mental health. 

The whole concept of social media and influencers gained popularity around the early 2010s with the uprising of the use of Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook. Since then, the number of users has just kept growing. Teens and younger adults are the main age group using social media frequently. According to Pew Internet and American Life Project (2015), “92% of teens ages 13-17 are online daily, 24% report being online ‘almost constantly,’ and 71% report using more than one social media application”. Adolescence is when young people get to know more about themselves and are still very impressionable. With social media, many young girls are exposed to the concept of body image and the “perfect” body. This ideal body image does not just affect the person who’s using it; this way of thinking rubs off on their families as well. The article “I don’t need people to tell me I’m pretty on social media:” A qualitative study of social media and body image in early adolescent girls by C. Blair Burnette a, Melissa A. Kwitowski a, Suzanne E. Mazzeo states that there are girls as young as six years old that show a preference for bodies thinner than their own. It is so upsetting seeing how we feel or how these standards are not only affecting us, but it is rubbing off on the people we care about as well, especially our younger siblings and cousins. 

One of the earliest memories I have about social media and body image would be on Tumblr. A trend at the time was #thinspo where people would post images of people pretty thin and use it as inspiration for their ideal body type and weight. At the time, it was trending. I was not as active on social media, but it was something I had heard about in passing. Looking back, it is kind of insane that this is something that many young girls participated in and that they saw daily. In recent years, the new trend has been “fitspiration,” which promotes a fit and healthy lifestyle. At first, it was something inspirational, but now its turned into some type of toxic promotion of body image and diet issues. Fitspiration is built off the idolization of skinny fit bodies and restrictive eating. In the article Social media and body image: Recent trends and future directions, the author states that “exposure to fitspiration content can increase body dissatisfaction.” This also increases the encouragement of eating disorders to reach this body satisfaction, which can lead to further issues outside of body image or dissatisfaction. 

The reason I chose this subject to talk about is that I myself am a victim of how social media affected and continues to affect the way I see myself. I did not start using social media until I got into high school and was happy with myself until then. During quarantine, fitness and body image became a huge deal and was something that started running off on me so I started working out more and eating a lot less. This is something that continues to affect me even four years later but is something that I’ve learned to maintain and use it as an encouragement not to go back to how I was. I took the time to gather some opinions of people in my community to see how it affects them or even if it affects them at all. 

Question asked: Does social media affect the way body image is seen? 

“Social media is bad for body imagine because there are a lot of filters that make women look like a Barbie doll, and it’s deceiving to young kids bringing out their insecurities.”

• Sonia Robles, 40

  
  

  

“Social media is bad for body image because of the impossible standards put out for kids starting at a young age because in this day most kids have social media as early as elementary school, and it is bad because kids should just be kids without worrying about unnecessary  problems with their looks”

• Sophia Olaguez, 16

Resources

Burnette, C. B., Kwitowski, M. A., & Mazzeo, S. E. (2017). “I don’t need people to tell me I’m pretty on social media:” A qualitative study of social media and body image in early adolescent girls. Body Image, 23, 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.09.001 

Vandenbosch, L., Fardouly, J., & Tiggemann, M. (2022). Social media and body image: Recent trends and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychology, 45, 101289-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.12.002

The Increase of Homeless in California

                                       The Increase of Homeless In California 

by Blanca Jimenez 

                                    

            

                    When we think of  California specially with in the city of Los Angeles we think about many things such as perfect weather, Hollywood and movie stars we think about the diversity of people and its culture. But we never think about the other side of California or as many would call it the bad-side filled with trash and people living in the streets. From sleeping in sidewalks to having community of tents and now the increase of stationary mobile homes. Homelessness have become a serious social problem, and it has been rapidly increasing and everyday there seems to be another encampment, and streets filled with random trash that pollutes our city.  Homelessness does not only bring overcrowded streets of tents but it brings an unsafe community, where the crime rates increase people fear for their safety even in their own homes and the community resources begin to decrease. 

What defines a person as a homeless?

A individual or a family that lacks resources, such as a permanent residence to live or sleep. A person that is in need of assistance of a shelter. Most of the time the person may choose to live in the streets and refuse to live in a shelter for certain reasons, such as been in fear of living with too many unknown people. 

Effects of been Homeless

 According to an article in Cal Matters the data provided is nothing more than just an estimate based on the declarations of vaulters they stated that they would only based the numbers on the numbers tents seen on site, meaning that the numbers are only a guess of what they seen. The article stated that "The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which requires the counts every other year, compiles the data from across the country into an annual report submitted to Congress. Last year, the department tallied 181,399 unhoused Californians — 28% of the nation’s total homeless population. That’s up nearly 40% from five years ago.” People are also traveling to other counties to benefit from their social services and the speculation was that they have been part of that county for years.

            According to The School of Public Health, homeless have a higher premature mortality because untreated injuries, overdosing and even the effects of extreme weather. Because of the poor living conditions homeless suffer many health conditions that they never get treated or they decline treatment because of a certain substance abuse." Twenty-three percent of the homeless population in the US is under the age of 18. Homeless youth are specially vulnerable to drug use; one study found that 55 percent of street youth and 34 percent of shelter youth have used illicit drugs since leaving home, compared to13 percent of youth who've never been homeless." It does not necessarily mean that every homeless person uses a drug there could be other factors involved such as mental health issues, emotional distress and even had experienced violence or been a victim of abuse.

Reasons for been Homeless

        What are some of the reasons that homelessness has increased in the recent years. It is due to the housing crisis that has occurred in California. California has not met the demands of housing and building has been even more difficult. Even when there is a new housing project people can simply not afford it. The rents are too high and the home prices have doubled and even tripled in some regions making even harder for people to afford anything. Politicians seem to be aware of the crisis of high poverty rate poverty and the rise of prices in rents, that made them have restrictions on on construction and passing laws that made it harder for landlords to evict their tenants and limit the size of the security deposits. Mental illness, a sexual assault, family break down and many other factors can contribute to a person been a homeless.                        

CALIFORNIA

Resources and Information 

The Winter Shelter Program

Overnight shelter, meals, showers, and other services for the homeless. 

Safe Parking LA Programs

A safe and legal way to connect people living in their vehicles with resources. All locations include restrooms and security guards.

Homeless Resources Near Libraries

Connecting the homeless with helpful services near library branches. Find help with finding work, food, housing, and more. 

                     Clear Minor Violations From Your Record       

Learn how to clear minor violations such as jaywalking or having expired car tags fro your record. 

Personal Issue 

  It is not a choice for a person to be homeless there is certain issues that have lead them to that path. Homelessness is a serious issue because it affects many people with in the community. The increasing rents and unaffordable housing seems to be affecting all of us and if there is no laws or regulations to stop investors it will soon affect uses well. Even to the point where we would need to also look for a more affordable home. People living in the street also increases unsanitary pathways specially making people opt for a different route. There is also the risk of people lurking around neighborhoods.  With in years I have noticed the increased of homeless, specially with in the freeways before it was common to be seen in downtown LA now it is something largely seen with in my community. Now the main street it is filed with RVs and tents making it impossible for a pedestrian pass by. I want my community to be cleaner and for all of us to fee safe to walk to the store with out having to pass by multiple tents. 

Interviews 

Name: Jose Reyes 

Q; What are your thoughts of the homeless in our community?

A; "it is unfortunate that they are in that position, something has to be done to help them and get them out of the streets. We do know that most of them do drugs and they tend to bring that with them. They are also a public safety hazards with they blocking out streets and even causing fires" 

Name; Jesse Jimenez

Q: How does the homeless affect our community? 

A: "Because of their lack access to restrooms their hygiene quality is low and sometimes it is impossible to be around them. They also could bring diseases to the community because their lack of healthcare."  

Name:Valerie Reyes

Q; What are your thoughts about the homeless community?

A; "Society needs to make it a bigger issue than what it is now. Even when there is many shelters it seems that there is more people living with in the streets. The government know that because of the lack economy people are ending in the streets." 

Works Cited

Galea, S. (2016, Febuary 18). Homelessness, Its Consequences, and Its Causes. Retrieved from school of Public Health .

Jason Adam Wasserman, J. M. (n.d.). The ‘‘Homeless Problem’’ and the Double Consciousness*. Sociology Inquiry , 331-355.

Kendall, M. (2024, january 26). CALMATTERS. Retrieved from calmatter.org: calmatters.org

Walters, D. (2022, December 18). The real cause of California’s homelessness crisis. Retrieved from CALMATTERS: https://calmatters.org/commentary/2022/12/the-real-cause-of-californias-homelessness-crisis/

 

              

Affordable housing crisis Los Angeles

Affordable Housing Crisis

by Elijah Morgan 

 What is Civic engagement? 

“Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” (nytimes.com)

“Civic engagement involves developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and promoting the quality of life in a community through both political and non-political processes.” (civicengagement.illinoisstate.edu)

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT to me means taking the initiative to make change in your community. Civic engagement  is important because it helps individuals of a community understand problems that are making life difficult. 

Affordable housing is an important issue that affects all Americans today.  It is obvious that housing is getting more and more expensive over time.  Home ownership has become impossible for more and more people. People are getting pushed out of their hometowns in California because wages are too low. My community is affected by outrageous rent. It is unfair that people native to their  communities  are pushed out due to low wages and outrageous housing prices. 

The median income in downtown Los Angeles where I live is $37,900. The average rent in Los Angeles is $2,700 for a 1 bedroom. These staggering statistics reveal the problem Los Angeles residents are facing. Rent is uncontrollably High in all of California. The amount of money people are making isn't enough to comfortably live in California. People are forced to live with roommates or be homeless. Applicants are required to make 2-3 times the rent to be considered to rent a residence. This requirement is just not the norm in today's economy. Statistics show that people are not making three times the rent. In 2022, 75,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles County. This is due to the lack of affordable housing and unlivable wages. Everyday more people are struggling to pay rent. It seems like nowadays you have to have multiple forms of income or you won't be able to survive. Or you have to move hours out of the city. 

This topic is important to me because when I was 18 I was forced to move out of my parents house.  I am from San Francisco and rent is higher than Los Angeles.  I was forced to figure out how I was going to survive. Thankfully I enrolled in school and I was able to move into dorms on loans and scholarships. Unfortunately I know so many people who didn't want to or didn't have the option to go to college. My peers had to face homelessness due to the incredibly high rent prices. On the other side of it I have peers who aren't able to move out of their parents home anytime soon due to the housing crisis in California. Waiting lists for affordable housing is outrageous and it's taking years for people to be accepted into these properties. 

I was born and raised in San Francisco and I experienced being pushed out of the only city I knew due to gentrification and rising rent prices. The housing crisis forced me and my family to be homeless when I was only 15 years old. Homelessness was traumatizing for me and my little brothers. My mom had trouble finding a place to live because she didn't make three times the rent  in 2015. My mom was able to buy a house in Sacramento but due to inflation and interest rates  she wouldn't be able to buy the same house today. I can only imagine how hard it is for low income families to survive in California today. 

Lauren 64 says, “Affordable housing is important because living wages are too low in California. Big corporate companies have pushed the middle class out of housing making it harder to become homeowners.” 

WORK CITED

1. Affordable Housing – Homeless Initiative. (n.d.). Homeless.lacounty.gov. https://homeless.lacounty.gov/affordable-housing/

2. The Definition of Civic Engagement - New York Times. (n.d.). Archive.nytimes.com. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/ref/college/collegespecial2/coll_aascu_defi.html?pagewanted=print

3. Photos: 2024 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count is underway. (2024, January 25). Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-25/photos-2024-greater-los-angeles-homeless-count#:~:text=The%20data%20showed%2075%2C518%20people

4. Average Rent in Los Angeles & Rent Prices by Neighborhood - RENTCafé. (2017). Rentcafe.com. https://www.rentcafe.com/average-rent-market-trends/us/ca/los-angeles/

5. Types of Civic Engagement | Center for Civic Engagement - Illinois State. (n.d.). Civicengagement.illinoisstate.edu. https://civicengagement.illinoisstate.edu/faculty-staff/engagement-types/

 Intra-Familial Child Sexual Abuse

 Maria Mendoza

What is Civic Engagement?

    

 To me civic engagement is about giving  fair chances, resources, sense of safety, and opportunities to underserved communities. I didn’t really know too much about what Civic Engagement meant until I read some of the definitions on the different websites but now I know that it’s something that we as humans put time and effort into in order to help others or a community as a whole. 

Intro

Intra-Familial Child Sexual Abuse is a topic that is not discussed often within families and communities for many different reasons. Some families choose to keep their children's innocence intact by not discussing inappropriate touching and behaviors. When this topic is discussed it is usually always a stranger being the perpetrator when the inappropriate touching and behaviors occur. It’s great that parents teach their children to be aware and careful with strangers, but what happens when the person who inappropriately touches a child is a part of the family ? or is a family friend? What then is being discussed and do the adults in the children's lives choose to remain quiet in order to help the perpetrator and not tarnish their reputation or do the adults help their child to not only get justice but also to get the necessary resources to help the children cope with the trauma and violation. This topic is unfortunately very common and is not discussed enough for various different reasons. When it is discussed and brought to light not only are the victims and survivors of Child sexual abuse at times let down by their own family but they are also being let down by the justice system as a whole.

 

Issues

There are several issues when it comes to the topic of Intra-familial Child Sexual Abuse. In many cases people tend to assume that incest is not as common or are ignorant to the fact that there are people who enjoy sexually abusing minors. In these cases it is unfortunate that some if not most people choose to rely on the saying “ ignorance is bliss”, instead of trying to learn and understand the dynamics and patterns of what leads to children being sexually abused and no it is never the victim's fault.

Research

While conducting my research on Intra-Familial Child Sexual Abuse I came across two very helpful articles that helped me get a better insight into the statistics, family dynamics, examples of sexual assault and incest, the challenges victims face  as a result of the abuse, Children NOT  being able to give consent,  generational trauma, negative health effects of sexual abuse, and the treatment of victims. The websites I found very insightful are the Wings Foundation and The National Library of Medicine’s article on Child Sexual Abuse and Neglect. While reading the Wings Foundation article I also came across the many different resources that they provide to  adults who were victims of child sexual abuse and they also offer resources to the victims loved ones as well. The Wings foundation stated that  90% of child sexual assaults cases happen to a child by an older child, teenager, and adult. About 60% of these assaults are carried out by someone that the child knows,  trusts, is related to, and may depend on for care. There are several stereotypes that may have people believe that incest is rare and that is unfortunately not true. It does not take much for people to try to learn the dynamics of child  sexual abuse and to see why that abuse is very common within families and why abusers abuse children that they have  accsess to wether the children are in their homes or are at family functions. 

The family dynamics that make this abuse seem “normal” are when this abuse is usually generational and when  families follow strict gender roles which place men above women. Women and at times men are taken advantage of by the person in the family who is seen as superior and has more power over others. This leads to physical,emotional,relational and mental needs not being honored equally throughout the family and it makes violence seen as a tradition that needs to be followed. 

The examples of incest may be “a grandfather abusing his children and his children’s children; an uncle abusing his nieces or nephews, a sibling abusing his sister or brother, re-enacting what his father may have done to him.” (Wings Foundation. )The challenges that victims face are ultimately being blamed for the abuse that happened to them and also made to feel as if they are the problem,  “the person who has been victimized is made to feel as if they are wrong for telling the truth. They may face harmful victim-blaming tactics and be disbelieved, silenced or even shunned. This is why it is so important to believe survivors who come forward. They may be facing intense pressure by those closest to them to stay wounded, hurt and quiet.” (Wings Foundation). It is important to know that children can not give consent and that victim blaming only furthers and prolongs this generational trauma.

  The health effects that child sexual abuse causes in children and adults who were abused as children vary. It is important to note that there are many cases where people do not report the abuse they endured so the exact number of people known to have these effects are not all accounted for.  The National Library of Medicine states the effects of the absue, “Adolescents are at increased risk for a number of conditions as they enter adulthood including anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, hospitalization for mental health disorders, social phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, victims of child sexual abuse are at a higher risk of becoming victims of intimate partner violence as well as sexual assault in adulthood.”

Treatment for this abuse also varies such as therapy, support groups, physicians, nurses, etc.  It  is important for the victims to have a community that supports them as they go through life living with the abuse that they should have never endured. 

Personal

For as long as I can remember, I have had to deal with this horrible subject of Intra-familial Child Sexual Abuse. I was 5 years old when I myself unfortunately discovered what that meant. At the time of course I did not know what it meant but as I grew older  I  saw that the abuse was very common within my family. The adults were very ignorant and at times they themselves were also victims of this abuse and they still allowed their abusers to be around the new younger generation, allowing this  generational trauma of sexual abuse to continue. I decided to speak up against my own abusers and did so in 2020 and I got to see first hand what victim blaming was and how my family went to great lengths to protect the pigs and abusers instead of protecting the victims.  I don't blame anyone in my family for never reporting as I know that the new generation never reported due to fear or the “normalcy” surrounding this abuse. I am happy to say that by reporting and talking to other victims of my family that other victims  reported their abusers and others shunned us and berated us and still do.  Justice has not been served for us victims but I have made it my life's mission when I began high school and even now to continue my education to become an attorney that helps others with similar situations. These experiences are still stuck with me and can at times take their toll on me  but I have also received help from therapists, resources, and by surrounding myself with people who truly love me. 

Interviews

I interviewed people in my family who have reported their abusers. 

1. How old were you when you found out what child sexual abuse was?Did your parents ever mention this topic?

2. Do you have any experiences related to this abuse? If so, how have you coped and do you need help with any resources?

3. Do you want to have kids of your own after these experiences?Yes?, No? , why? If you do how will you protect them from this? 

Itzel M. (18 years old)

 "I was never taught what child sexual abuse was, I found out on my own when I was 10 years old. Yes, unfortunately I do have an experience related to this abuse and I went to therapy because of this abuse. I do not feel that I need help with any resources. I do not want to have kids of my own after these experiences because I do not want whatever happened to me to happen to them"

Isabella M. (23 years old)

"I was never taught what sexual abuse was but I learned at the age of 12. Yes, I have experienced sexual abuse at the hands of an adult family member that I lived with at the time. I coped by moving away from my family and starting my own. I have a son and I protect him by not allowing any of my family near him. I only allow the people that I know and have shown me that they stand against pedophilia around my son."

  Tana M. (25 years old)

"I learned about this topic as I got older but my mom would teach me and my siblings to not allow others to touch us inappropriately. I also had a very strict upbringing because my mom was sexually  abused in her own family and she never let us out of her sight. Even with that I was still assaulted by a family member. I coped with this abuse by striving towards a better life through my education and also by separating myself from the family and going to therapy. I am recently married and would like to start a family of my own once I complete my studies."

Resources

WINGS FOUNDATION:

Intrafamilial sexual abuse or incest  . Wings Foundation. (2022, June 30). https://www.wingsfound.org/resource/intrafamilial-abuse/ 

NCBI:

Melmer, M. N. (2023, August 28). Child sexual abuse and neglect. StatPearls [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470563/