Consequences of Abuse and Sexual Violence Exposure on Child Victims

Abstract

This study examines the impact of child victimization—specifically abuse and sexual violence—on intellectual development in childhood. The sample consisted of 83 children aged 6 to 11 years recruited from public schools in Goiás, Brazil, who were classified into victim and non‑victim groups. Assessment instruments included the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire (JVQ) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC‑IV). Findings reveal that sexual victimization significantly impairs working memory and full‑scale IQ, with more pronounced effects observed among female participants. The absence of a significant association with abuse suggests that cognitive consequences are contingent upon the type of violence experienced. The study concludes that public protection policies are essential to mitigate the adverse developmental impacts of violence on affected children.