The impact of child sexual abuse on marital life: literature review

Abstract

Sexual violence against children and adolescents occurs on a global scale and presents significant risk factors throughout the life cycle. To this end, this study aims to analyze national and international scientific productions about the impact of child sexual abuse on the quality of the marital relationship. An integrative literature review was carried out in the VHL, CAPES and Google Scholar databases, using pre-established descriptors, in Portuguese and Spanish, in the period between 2017 and 2023. Eight complete indexed articles were selected and subjected to thematic categorical content analyses. It was shown that sexual violence in childhood can compromise the psychological and cognitive state of victims, while its impacts, in adult life, can have an impact on the sense of trust, sexual dysfunctions and failures in communication between the couple. There is a lack of studies that discuss the impact of childhood sexual abuse on marital quality.