Citation

Malhi P, Bharti B. Indian J. Soc. Psychiatry 2023; 39(2): e190.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Indian Association for Social Psychiatry, Publisher Wolters Kluwer - Medknow)

DOI

10.4103/ijsp.ijsp_292_20

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In India, children are disproportionately affected by sex-related crimes, and nearly 40000 cases were reported under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act in 2018. Sexual assault is the most common trauma associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among young people. Children with preexisting vulnerabilities, such as family dysfunction, emotional abuse and neglect, disengagement in the education system, lack of positive attachments, and socioeconomic disadvantage are especially vulnerable to sexual abuse. In this case report, we highlight the successful use of creative art therapy to help a girl who developed PTSD after sexual assault by an adult male neighbor. Multifaceted prevention programs may be one way of reaching out to large numbers of families without stigmatizing any group.

Language: en