http://www.drrichardhall.com/Articles/pedophiles.pdf
Page 461
Pedophilic abuse is often not reported for a variety of
reasons ranging from fear (eg, worried about not being
believed, will be physically harmed if child reports abuse),
emotional reasons (needy child identifies with the pedophile),
or guilt (feels responsible for what happened)
6 In
the study by Bagley et al, the most common response why
individuals who were molested once did not report abuse
was that they could “handle the abuse” and it “didn’t
bother” them (50.7%), with the second most common response
being that they were afraid of how other people
would react (40%)
For children who were abused multiple
times, the most common response was that they felt
partly responsible (57.7%) or that they did not want the
person prosecuted because of some degree of attachment
(44.2%).
It is startling that the
North American Man/Boy
Love Association Web site uses research with similar findings
(eg, it did not bother me or I liked the experience) to
justify its position on why it should be legal for adult men
to have consensual sexual relationships with boys....
...page 465
...
Generally, abused children experience the greatest psychological
damage when the abuse occurs from father figures
(close neighbors, priests or ministers, coaches) or involves
force and/or genital contact.
The specific long-term
effects on abused children as they grow into adulthood are
difficult to predict. Some individuals adapt and have a
higher degree of resilience, whereas others are profoundly
and negatively changed. Studies have found that the children
abused by pedophiles have higher measures of
trauma, depression, and neurosis on standardized psychometric
testing.
Individuals who experience long-term
abuse are significantly more likely to have affective illness
(eg, depression), anxiety disorders (eg, generalized anxiety
disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, panic attacks), eating
disorders (anorexia in females), substance abuse, personality
disorders, and/or adjustment disorders and to make
suicidal gestures or actually engage in serious suicide attempts
than those who are not abused....
...
We have clinically treated 10 adult men who were
molested by a priest or minister. Many of these men
reported initially liking the relationship with the clergyman
because of the attention they received and having a
special relationship with a person of power and respect.
Later, these men reported feeling rejected, abandoned,
and betrayed. They all reported multiple sexual acts. Five
were “passed around” to other pedophilic clergy, who
also engaged in multiple sexual acts with them. Common
features seen in the abused men included guilt, anger, and
confusion about the abuse. Eight of the abused men had
either treatment-refractory or recurrent depression, 7 had
divorced at least twice, 6 had made serious suicide attempts,
and 4 had alcohol or drug dependency issues. All
reported fear of isolation from others, shame, and a fear of
emotional dependency on others.
Five reported they were
gay or bisexual, whereas 3 of the remaining 5 had difficulty
difficulty
with both emotional and physical intimacy with their
spouses.
