Sexual abuse in childhood and their impact on sexual satisfaction for women victims in the age adult

This article proposes a literature review concerning the impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in the sexual satisfaction levels of victimized women. It is largely discussed that CSA is a major factor in psychological disorders etiology, although its implication to adult sexuality has been barely discussed in Brazilian scientific literature. This investigation presents the major contributions from scientific international literature for the comprehension of such association. In the absence of causality relationships, the influence of mediating variables between CSA and sexual satisfaction in adulthood are pointed out, such as: characteristics of sexual violence episodes, coping strategies adopted by victims, emotions and cognitions associated with trauma, stress response mechanisms and sexual functioning aspects. Clinical implications for CSA impact on the capacity of establishing and maintaining intimate and healthy adult relationships are discussed.